HCS Pro League NA Summer Finals 2016 CLG vs. Team EnVy Us

Halo Championship Series Pro League Fall Season Schedule Revealed

Coming off an incredible Summer 2016 Season, the Halo Championship Series: Pro League by ESL is poised to be back bigger and better than before. On both sides of the pond, the HCS Pro League Summer 2016 Season delivered incredible matches and excitement, while providing valuable learnings for us on the HCS team. Heading into the Fall 2016 Season – as well as the 2017 Halo World Championship – 343 Industries and ESL are excited about incorporating excellent feedback provided by teams, players, and fans all over the world.

Today, we’re excited to talk more about the upcoming Fall season, including format, full season roadmap, and new open events.

HCSPL and ESL Banner

The Summer Finals for 2016 saw the crowning of two incredibly dominant and deserving champions in Counter Logic Gaming in North America, and FAB Esports in Europe. For the Fall 2016 Season, both squads will have to fend off a fierce and revitalized effort from each and every team in their respective leagues if they hope to head into the 2017 Halo World Championship with a second season title under their belts. The stakes are great, with $225,000 up for grabs in North America, and $100,000 in Europe for the season!

With the roster lock rapidly approaching on August 25 in North America, and having just passed on August 21 for Europe, fans across the globe are eager to see where their favorite players land. The opportunity to see old faces thrive in new places, as well as how these new rosters will shake out, makes the wait for the September 14 start date of the Fall 2016 Season all the more difficult.

While HCS Pro League season format will stay the same in the Fall 2016 Season, there have been a few changes to the broadcast timeslots to improve spectator accessibility and experience.

HCS Pro League Fall 2016 Season regular match days will begin on September 14, and take place each Wednesday and Thursday beginning at 11:30am PT / 7:30pm BST for Europe, and 4:30pm PT for North America. As always, you will be able to catch all the action on twitch.tv/Halo and Halo.gg.

FALL FINALS 2016

The EU HCS Pro League Fall Finals 2016 will be held on December 3-4 at the ESL Studio One in Leicester, UK, and one week later the top North American teams will clash in the NA HCS Pro League Fall Finals 2016 on December 10-11 at ESL Studios in Burbank, California. Event and ticketing information will be coming shortly.

HCS PL Open Circuit Banner

For teams looking to make their own mark in Halo esports, and forge their own path into the HCS Pro League, there are some changes coming to the HCS Open Circuit for the Fall 2016 Season.

In Europe, our partners at ESL will once again be organizing the HCS Open Circuit tournaments for players and teams across the pond fighting to make a name for themselves. In North America, Pro Gaming League (PGL) will be organizing the NA HCS Open Circuit.

For the Fall 2016 Season, HCS Open Circuit online matches in North America will also be broadcasted in addition to HCS Pro League matches. Alongside the standard online tournaments, we’re also extremely excited to announce that two new live open events have been added to the Fall 2016 Season calendar. Joining us for the ride will be our longtime partners and Halo headset heroes at ASTRO Gaming. Read more to get the scoop!

OPEN EVENTS

HCS Orange County by Esports Arena

HCS PL Esports Arena banner

In conjunction with our friends at Esports Arena, the HCS Orange County open event will be held on Oct 7-9 in Santa Ana, California, with the top four HCS Open Circuit teams earning a spot in the HCS Open Circuit Finals, and a chance to take down the Pro League juggernauts, who will be waiting in the Championship bracket. Featuring a prize pool of $20,000, there’s a lot on the line for Open Circuit and Pro League teams alike. In addition to the Open and Championship brackets, HCS Orange County will feature the Halo 5 FFA powered by ASTRO Gaming for players looking to make a splash onto the scene. The Free-For-All will be open to all players in attendance, including HCS Pro League players. Whether you’ve got a full four-player squad or call yourself a lone wolf, you won’t want to miss your chance at a share of $5,000 in the Free-For-All tournament. Head to esportsarena.com to learn more!

HCS Orange County by Esports Arena recap:

  • October 7-9 – Santa Ana, California
  • Top 4 Open Circuit teams qualify for Open Circuit Finals in Las Vegas.
  • HCS Pro League teams invited to Championship bracket
  • $20,000 4v4 tournament
  • $5,000 Halo 5 FFA powered by Astro Gaming for both Open Circuit and Pro League players

HCS Las Vegas by PGL

HCS PL PGL Banner

Wrapping up the HCS Open Circuit for the Fall 2016 Season will be HCS Las Vegas, Nov 18-20 – hosted by Pro Gaming League. Last year’s HCS Indianapolis by PGL was quite the spectacle, and this year’s edition has us very excited for the opportunity to team up with PGL once again.

HCS Las Vegas will be the site of the HCS Open Circuit Finals, where the top two teams will be propelled into the Relegation tournament during the Fall Finals 2016 hosted by ESL. HCS Las Vegas will feature its own Open Bracket, where top HCS Open Circuit teams will move on to face off against HCS Pro League teams for a $25,000 prize pool. Just like HCS Orange County, we’ll also be hosting another Halo 5 FFA powered by ASTRO Gaming with a total of $5,000 on the line! Information on format, team and FFA passes, and more will be available in the coming weeks. To see the full HCS Open Circuit schedule, head to progamingleague.com!

HCS Las Vegas by PGL recap:

  • November 18-20 – Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Top 2 Open Circuit teams qualify for Relegation tournament in December
  • HCS Pro League teams invited to Championship bracket
  • $25,000 4v4 tournament
  • $5,000 Halo 5 FFA powered by Astro Gaming for both Open Circuit and Pro League players

Here’s a look at the full season road map for the Halo Championship Series:

We’re absolutely thrilled to get the Fall 2016 Season underway for both the HCS Pro League and the HCS Open Circuits – both in North America and in Europe. We can’t wait for the matches to start, along with the first First Strike medal, the first flag cap, the first upset, and countless more epic moments. We hope you’ll all join us for every match and moment along the way!

As always, for all updates on the Halo Championship Series, follow @HCS and @ESLHalo on Twitter, keep it locked to Halo.gg and ProLeague.com/Halo.