Management-team communication, revenue opportunities proving effective in Halo esports

As Complexity CEO Jason Lake tells it, 343 Industries, the developer of Halo Infinite that handles league operations for the Halo Championship Series, is proving to be a strong management team, providing effective communication with franchised teams. 

That communication was a big selling point for Complexity, which made the leap to join the HCS in late 2022, even as the series was seeing slumping viewership. Beyond keeping lines of communication open, 343 has handled the sale of team-branded digital items in the online store, where teams receive a cut. Additionally, teams may field their own branded competitions as part of the official HCS circuit.

The whole package, combined with lower salary needs for players, has made the HCS a solid proposition for partner franchises. “343 wants to engage the teams more as partners, than as some dictatorial, ‘Hey, you’re lucky to be involved with our game’ [perspective],” Lake told SBJ. “We like their platform. We like how they engage with their teams.”

Lake said that across esports, team leaders are seeing more game developers adopt an approach similar to 343 in finding new ways to create monetization options -- a much-needed revenue source for teams as sponsorship opportunities are tight and media revenue is essentially nonexistent. Lake also highlights creativity from 343, like last weekend’s HCS competition, during which fans could play the new season’s content in Halo Infinite early.

HCS live events, operated by Esports Engine, are also drumming up decent crowds. At Dreamhack Dallas last weekend (an event that had over 44,000 total attendees for all competitions over the course of the three-day festival), the HCS grand finals match between FaZe Clan and Spacestation Gaming saw seats in front of the Halo stage that were decidedly full (including a number of fans standing).

The next HCS event will be hosted by Spacestation in Salt Lake City, and Spacestation CEO Shawn Pellerin tells SBJ the group expects foot traffic of 1,500+ for the solo esports event. -- Hunter Cooke