The Halo World Championship Starts Now!

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Dust Storm

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It all comes down to this weekend. Sixteen teams from around the world have proved they have what it takes to be in the Halo World Championship, but only one will earn the title of champion!  Heralding from the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, these teams are competing for their share of a crowd-funded $2.5 million.  The international teams have their stake to claim among the established American players, and the rivalry between Counter Logic Gaming and Evil Geniuses will be a spectacle for the weekend.

This weekend, make sure you catch the action for both the main stage (Twitch.TV/Halo) and the second stage (Twitch.TV/ESL_Halo) and tune in to commentary from the caster lineup of Alex “Goldenboy” Mendez, Dave “Walshy” Walsh, Mike “Strongside” Cavanaugh, Mark “Onset” Hatcher, Andy “Bravo” Dudynsky, Miles “Wra7h” Ross and Richard Simms.  The schedule for this weekend is as follows:

  • Friday – Day One Playoffs, 9AM-8PM PDT
  • Saturday – Day Two Playoffs, 9AM-9:30PM PDT
  • Sunday – Finals, 4PM-6PM PDT

For complete match schedules and list of maps/game modes, visit Halo.gg.

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GrifCon 2016 Fully Funded, Partnered with Stream.Me

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Dust Storm

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Thanks to fans everywhere and their support for the sport of the future, GrifballHub’s GrifCon for 2016 has been fully funded, but it’s not just the fans who have a vested interest in the success of Grifball’s presence at RTX this year.  GrifballHub has partnered with Stream.Me as the exclusive streaming service for Grifball during the expo.  Stream.Me is a new streaming service based out of Austin, TX still in beta development.  Along with their contribution to the fundraiser and ongoing support from Halo fans, the Kickstarter project has reached it’s first stretch goal and is close to its second which will introduce shot glasses and water bottles.  The project is still raising funds for RTX, so if you haven’t contributed and would like to help support the Halo community, consider backing the project.

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Machinima Monday: The Drop

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Dust Storm

In honor of the #SpartansForTroops we hosted a couple weekends ago, here’s the premiere machinima produced for the event from Thomas Productions.

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Podtacular 529: Grifball is Here

Posted on March 12, 2016 by Dust Storm

The Hammer Storm update is out and as one of the biggest content updates to Halo 5: Guardians so far, there’s a lot to look forward to.  New REQs, bug fixes, maps, modes and more!  The sport of the future, Grifball is a community favorite among the offerings and is, in the short time we’ve played it a lot of fun!  Aside from the update, there’s a lot of miscellaneous community news happening as well, so expect a packed show for this episode.  We also give a sneak peek at what’s coming up for the #SpartansForTroops livestream with Operation Supply Drop.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:34:43 — 66.3MB)

Subscribe: Spotify | RSS

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GrifballHub’s First Halo 5: Guardians Grifball League Registration Ends Tomorrow

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Dust Storm

Grab your swords and hammers because it’s time to sign up for the sport of the future: Grifball!  Registration for the first Halo 5: Guardians Grifball league closes tomorrow and play starts next week, so grab three of your friends and create a team over on GrifballHub.com.  Games in the league are played on set nights and will use game settings similar to those released by 343 Industries.  The league is open to newcomers and veterans alike and it doesn’t matter if you’re playing to win or playing for fun.  If you’re looking for a team to join for the first season, you can head over to the Recruiting forum over at GrifballHub and find a team to play with.  What is Grifball you ask?  Here’s a nice little video for you.

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Halo World Championship Group Draw

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Dust Storm

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The top sixteen teams from around the world have made their way to the world finals happening in two weeks in Hollywood, CA.  All teams were placed into pools based on their regional placings and from those pools were drawn into one of four groups.  The top two teams from each group will go on to the quarter finals after pool play.  All teams who made it this far is guaranteed to walk away with a portion of the $2.5 million prize pool broken down below. What team are you cheering for in two week?  For the latest in Halo Competitive Series news, stay tuned to @HCS and Halo.GG.

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Spartans For Troops Arena Tournament Information and Registration

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Dust Storm

As part of the Spartans For Troops Halo Community Livestream, Podtacular will host a Halo 5: Guardians Arena tournament after the pro exhibition.  This tournament is open to all Halo community members and veterans and will follow a format similar to the HCS online qualifiers.  Up to 16 teams will play in this tournament for a chance to win Xbox Live gift cards, REQ packs and official stream t-shirts.  The tournament will be broadcasted using Halo 5’s spectator mode with commentary on the livestream.  If you are interested in competing, here’s the info and rules you need to know. Continue reading →

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