Sailors and other authorized Navy MWR patrons from around the world can compete in six live tournaments this month, as they experience the next chapter in the Halo series. The highly anticipated Halo Infinite is free to play and features the return of the game’s main character, Master Chief.
"I feel the whole military esports ecosystem has come full circle with the announcement of the Halo Infinite multiplayer title,” said Refugio Orozco, branch head of Commander, Navy Installations Command’s (CNIC’s) Fleet and Family Readiness Marketing and Communications Branch. “I say that because Halo 5 was the first title that I worked with back in 2015 when we launched one of the first tournaments for service members. Back then, we were just trying to add a competitive element to gaming for service members. I would say we have been very successful at that and more.”
The previous Navy MWR esports series featured the game title Apex Legends and was streamed on Twitch over the summer. Esports fans everywhere tuned in to watch an impressive 14.5 million minutes of competition.
“Our Navy MWR esports program will continue to grow and support Sailors’ lethality, while providing a recreation outlet that enhances readiness, resiliency, cognitive skills and showcases the talents of participants,” said Brooke Haley, CNIC’s Fleet and Family Readiness Community Recreation Program manager.
Competitors in the Halo Infinite multiplayer tournaments will battle it out for a chance to win a Navy MWR custom esports jersey, along with a $150 gift card! Second place prizing includes a $100 gift card; however, the prizes do not stop there. Gamers can win a jersey just by signing up for any of the Navy MWR esports tournaments at www.navymwr.org/esports/sign-up.
The competition starts Dec. 20 and is open to authorized Navy MWR patrons whose squads will compete in a 4v4 format. The holiday tournament series will stream live on the Navy MWR Twitch channel, www.twitch.tv/NavyMWR, and will feature top-tier Twitch commentators. The tournament will cross platforms and can be played on Xbox or PC. Registration is limited to 128 participants per tournament and will close on the day of the competition.
The dates and times for the upcoming tournaments are:
Tournament 1: Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. EST
Tournament 2: Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. EST
Tournament 3: Dec. 22 at 6 p.m. EST
Tournament 4: Dec. 23 at 6 p.m. EST
Tournament 5: Dec. 29 at 6 p.m. EST
Tournament 6: Dec. 30 at 6 p.m. EST
Visit the Navy MWR Esports page at www.navymwr.org/esports for more details.
Want to be part of the action but not compete? Catch the weekly events featuring Sailors from around the world and see which Sailor will take home the title. Watch the live stream at www.twitch.tv/NavyMWR.
For more information on Navy MWR, visit www.navymwr.org or the Fleet and Family Readiness Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NavyFFR.