As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the world, many games have been impacted by increasingly strict quarantine measures, and Halo Infinite is no exception. Now, one Halo Infinite esports event is so worried about the rising number of cases that it's changing the rules. According to a recent update, the Halo Championship Series event will no longer be including spectators at the upcoming Anaheim Regional Championship due to safety concerns.
The Halo Championship Series eSports league has been around since 2014, when developer 343 Industries decided to give fans of the franchise a quality eSports experience. Part of that experience included spectators, but the pandemic has thrown a wrench into things, especially the new and highly contagious Omicron variant.
Details were shared in a recent tweet from the verified Twitter account Halo Esports #HCS, which is the official account for the Halo Championship Series, Halo esports in general, and competitive multiplayer. According to the post, not only will the event itself no longer be hosting spectators, the open bracket will be taking place online ahead of the event. Hopefully, this will allow the competitors to determine their teams without placing anyone in too much danger of contracting COVID-19.
The post goes on to announce that, in order to ensure the tournament is both competitive and inclusive of the broader community, the Halo Championship Series will be hosting an online qualifier. This event will help the organizers find the eight teams that will be joining the top eight teams from the HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021. When it comes time for the Anaheim Regional Championships to be held, the account assures gamers that the safety of the Halo community and event staff is the Halo Championship Series' top priority. Apparently, open events are at the heart of Halo esports and the Halo Championship Series will always try to provide open events whenever possible, but COVID-19 is making that very difficult right now.
It appears that many gamers are not impressed by the Halo Championship Series' dedication to keeping players and spectators safe. Several users complained about the lack of concrete details regarding how the online portion of the event would work. More users protested the decision to remove spectators rather than just move the event, as Texas' rules concerning COVID restrictions aren't as strict as the ones in California. However, a few users did state that they understood the decision the event organizers were making and that they hoped the Halo esports scene would stay safe.
Halo Infinite is out now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.