Last Updated on January 29, 2020 by Mathew Diekhake

Today we’re excited to reveal the first official Halo Championship Series (HCS) event of 2019 as the esports stage at the legendary SXSW (South by Southwest) festival in Austin, Texas from March 15-17. SXSW is a yearly cultural touchstone for music, film, and interactive media in the world, and we’re thrilled to bring Halo esports to the fans in attendance with over $100,000 in prizing on the line.

Tickets are available for purchase here. If you are not able to make it, be sure to tune in to mixer.com/Halo and twitch.tv/Halo each day at 12 p.m. CT/10 a.m. PT. Not only will you be treated to amazing matches and gameplay, but we’ve also got some exciting MCC news to reveal during the show.

The HCS Invitational at SXSW will feature a variety a Halo tournaments and experiences for professional players and Halo fans alike. On the main stage, the top six Halo teams from the Halo Classic in St. Louis have been invited for a double elimination Halo 3 showdown over the $100,000 prize pool. The Microsoft Store 2v2 Throwdown will see hometown heroes compete alongside regional pros for a $5,000 prize pool. Pros, casters, content creators and fans will come together for a Big Team Battle Bonanza to compete together on the mainstage. And finally, attendees will have the chance to compete in an open Free-For-All tournament with a $5,000 prize pool on the line. For a full breakdown of tournaments and activities, head to Halo Waypoint.

The HCS Invitational at SXSW is a tournament and event experience like Halo has never seen before. We’re taking some risks, we’re trying some new things, and we’ll be taking our learnings going forward. Our goal for Halo Esports in 2019 is to showcase Halo at larger, pre-existing events where attendees have the opportunity to watch, play and hang out with the community. SXSW is a first step toward uniting the entire competitive Halo community, and we cannot wait to experience the action together this March and to see where 2019 takes us.

For all the latest on the Halo Championship Series, keep it locked to Halo.gg and follow @HCS and @Halo on Twitter. For everything Halo, stay tuned to Halo Waypoint and Xbox Wire.

Source: HCS Invitational Coming to SXSW March 15-17 – Xbox Wire