Believe it or not, Halo 2 was first released almost ten years ago. Met with widespread critical acclaim and multiple awards, the game proved to be another successful instalment in what would turn out to be one of the biggest and most recognizable video game series of all time.
Almost a decade later, the unreleased remastered version of Halo 2: Anniversary from the upcoming Halo: The Master Chief Collection - will be playable at gamescom, giving you the chance to play this classic eSports title competitively before it launches. Think you have the skills to come out on top? Then make sure you’re at gamescom in Cologne! You can earn a place in the US $10,000 4v4 tournament Grand Final, plus all the Halo 2: Anniversary action will also be streamed live on Twitch.tv/Halo from 10:30 to 17:00 CEST on Sunday.
What’s on when?
- Winner stays 4v4 qualifier tournament - Wednesday the 13th to Saturday the 16th of August at 10:00 to 19:30 CEST (kicks off at 09:00 on Saturday)
- Free-For-All Exhibition tournament - Sunday the 17th of August at 10:30 to 11:15 CEST
- 4v4 tournament Grand Final - Sunday the 17th of August at 11:30 to 17:00 CEST
- The opportunity to meet the developers from 343 at the free gaming booth and the stage throughout
What can I win?
A cool US$10,000, divided among the winners as follows:
- 1st: $5,000
- 2nd: $1,500
- 3rd and 4th: $750
- 5th through 8th: $500
How do I take part?
Simply turn up at the ESL Arena in Hall 9 with a team of four (or make one on the spot)! Once you’ve got your team, head over to the dedicated Halo: The Master Chief Collection area and compete on one of the "winner stays“ 4v4 gaming stations on Ascension and one other unannounced map. By winning 10 matches in a row, your team will take the top spot on the daily leader board, with other teams having to score 11 or more to knock you off it (whereupon you’d need to come back and show them who’s boss).
At the end of each day, the top team will advance to the Sunday Grand Finals in order to battle it out for a hefty US$10,000 prize pool on ESL's Halo Main Stage and in front of thousands of viewers live on Twitch.tv/Halo with commentary from 343 Industries’ Andy “Bravo” Dudynsky and Twitch’s Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez.
Additionally, don’t worry if you don’t have a Sunday pass to gamescom - you’ll get one for free if you qualify.
Check out our Halo landing page for more detailed rules including games modes and map types, which have yet to be announced.
I can’t make it to gamescom - how can I get involved?
On Sunday, all the Halo action at gamescom will be being streamed at Twitch.tv/Halo from 10:30 to 17:00 CEST. You can also get involved on social media by using the #Halo hashtag on Twitter and tweeting at @ESL and @Halo.
Even if you’ll be around in person but don’t want to play yourself, there’s still plenty to see and do at the Halo: The Master Chief Collection free gaming area, so be sure to drop by if you’ll be at gamescom!
You can find additional information on the teams and rules here.
NB: As Halo is a USK16-rated game, you will need to supply photo ID that includes your date of birth in order to sign up for any tournaments and get into the free gaming area. Additionally, if you win a Sunday gamescom ticket, we unfortunately cannot reimburse you for tickets already purchased.
