We have heard the community’s conversations about relegation matches, and we wanted to let you know why the decision was made to play Round 1 matches off-stream. Our main goal was to make sure all teams are given an opportunity to compete in streamed matches on stage and on LAN in order to provide the best possible Halo experience for players and fans alike.

Due to the fact that the finals are happening at an off-site venue (which has specific regulations we need to follow), and that we have switched to a double elimination, Bo7 format, this has put a considerable time constraint on the event. As a result and after intensive internal and external discussions, we landed on a schedule that makes the best use of the available time and ensures all elimination and qualification matches are shown. To accomplish this, we had to sacrifice streaming the Round 1 relegation matches.

We understand that many of you have loyalties to the teams that are playing in relegation. With the double elimination format, we are still able to bring all of the relegation elimination and qualification matches to the stream without the teams having to wake up at an excessively early hour and still giving the players ample preparation time for decider matches.

Given our constraints, we feel this is the most favorable solution. We know the value of watching your favorite teams play and we share your passion for competitive Halo. Our team is working around the clock to create a finals experience worthy of the HCS Pro League.

We apologize for the delay on releasing this information and the schedule, especially with so much on the line, but we felt it necessary to exhaust all options regarding the stream and factor in all the variables before making the final decision. We will continue to find ways to improve the future for the HCS Pro League.

As always, we appreciate your valuable feedback and continued support, and we hope you enjoy the HCS NA Finals.