Microsoft confirms that 16 teams from all across the globe are competing in the upcoming Halo World Championship (Halo WC).
With a prize pool that has reached $2.5 million, the championship is so far the biggest prized event in the history of esports shooter gameplay.
Players from the competing teams will battle in Halo 5: Guardians wherein only eight teams would qualify to move on to the finals, while the other half would see an end to their journey.
The final 16 teams that are competing in the Halo WC include eight teams from North America: Team Allegiance, Counter Logic Gaming, Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid, Noble eSports, Renegades, Triggers Pound and Denial eSports.
The teams from Europe, the Middle East and Africa are Epsilon eSports, FabE, exceL, and Team Infused. Team Immunity and Team Exile5 are from Australia/New Zealand. Asia has Skyfire, and Chosen Squad will represent Latin America.
"After several months of grueling practice, intense competition and many hard-fought battles in Halo 5: Guardians on Xbox One, it's finally come down to this: 16 teams from around the world will compete in the biggest Halo esports competition in franchise history - the Halo World Championship," says Xbox.
Esports Earning tracking site said that the Halo tournament has the seventh largest prize pool in esports gaming history and also the highest ever in the first-person shooter gameplay.
Initially, Microsoft set the prize pool at $1 million. However, fans decided to crowdfund the pool through the REQ system of the title's in-game purchases. Now, the final prize pool of $2.5 million is locked and players will all be competing to get their slice of the pie.
According to Xbox, the team who makes it to the top spot will take home the prize money amounting to $1 million. So far, this is the biggest individual prize pool that has ever happened in the history of console esports.
The Halo WC tournament will run from March 18 - 20 in Hollywood, California, but Microsoft has yet to announce the exact venue for the event. The company adds that fans should will learn more about the exact venue when it makes an announcement on March 4.
