Halo Infinite's First In-Person Esports Tournament Teased For 2021

Halo's long history with esports will continue with Halo Infinite, and now the game's first tournament has been teased. The franchise's competitive gaming lead, Tashi, announced on Twitter that Microsoft just recently finalized a date and venue for the first Halo Infinite event in the Halo Championship Series.

Tashi didn't share any further specifics, but more details will be announced this summer. Also, everything could change as a result of the pandemic, Tashi cautioned.

Microsoft has been planning Halo Infinite's esports efforts for a very long time. Back in February 2020, when the game was still on track for release in 2020 and before the pandemic reached its height, Microsoft announced a huge deal with Esports Engine to run the Halo Championship Series.

As part of the deal, the Esports Engine team will work alongside Microsoft's own Halo Championship Series team inside of developer 343 Industries. The two will collaborate on "ecosystem design, format and league operations, broadcasts, and more."

Adam Apicella, the head of Esports Engine, tweeted about the news in less direct terms. He teased, "Signed the biggest thing I've ever been a part of in my career. Vroom vroom 2021." He joked about building a hover craft in the tweet as well.

Apicella also retweeted Tashi's tweet about the Halo Infinite competitive gaming news, saying, "Let's go!"

After a big delay, Halo Infinite is now slated to release this fall for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The multiplayer is getting a big shakeup as well, as Microsoft is making it free-to-play for everyone.