The Halo Championship Series has been tight-lipped about season two of its partnership program, but with the Halo World Championship—and the Singapore Grand Prix—just around the corner, the first of its partnered teams for year two has been announced.
The HCS revealed Quadrant, an organization founded by Formula One star Lando Norris, as the newest partner team. To celebrate the occasion, Norris will wear a Master Chief-inspired race helmet for this weekend’s Grand Prix.
Halo was Quadrant’s first esports venture back in late 2021, when it picked up a French powerhouse roster in the European region that has remained a prominent force in the regional top three since its acquisition. The failure of the Quadrant roster to qualify for Worlds last week at the Orlando Major will no doubt add an unintended sting to this announcement, but the commitment to a second season of Halo Infinite competitive play is a major sign of trust in the HCS programm regardless.
“It’s really exciting for us to announce that we’ve become a partnered team in Halo,” Lando Norris said in the announcement. “The whole team has worked incredibly hard to get to this stage, and I’m really proud of the success our roster has had this season.”
The passion he had for following the exploits of Quadrant’s first esports team is clear, watching tournaments and scrims, as well as inviting the players to the French Grand Prix earlier this year.
“Being able to see our own Quadrant skins and items available in-game is surreal,” Norris said. “For our first game to be such a historic title as Halo just shows how far we have come as a company in such a short space of time.”
Questions remain about the parameters required for an esports organization to be accepted into the partnership program, with Acend and Kansas City Pioneers being notable recent examples of teams that failed to become HCS partners for year two.
A start date for year two remains elusive, but a 2023 start as revealed in the partnership announcement suggests a multi-month off-season following the conclusion of the World Championship on Oct. 23. The other organizations who will join Quadrant in the second iteration of the partnership program are yet to be announced.
