Halo Infinite players and viewers have been disappointed with the experience at the HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021 so far, after technical difficulties caused one delay after another.
Halo Infinite esports is officially underway, with the first day of the HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021 kicking off on December 17.
It’s already become the most-watched Halo tournament in the franchise’s history, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The event has been marred by technical difficulties causing players to disconnect in the middle of matches, leading to hours of delays.
343 acknowledged the issues early on. Halo Esports lead Tashi told players on Twitter: “Thanks for sticking with us as we work through these technical gremlins. We are turning over every stone to make sure we resolve the issue, and hopefully, the rest of the matches on stage go smoothly.”
Thanks for sticking with us as we work through these technical gremlins. We are turning over every stone to make sure we resolve the issue and hopefully the rest of the matches on stage go smoothly.
— Tashi (@Tashi343i) December 17, 2021
However, the rest of the matches didn’t go smoothly at all. The issues continued to be a problem. It started taking a toll on players, including FaZe Clan’s Eric ‘Snip3down’ Wrona, who vented about it on social media.
“Bring the Xbox’s out!” said Snip3down. “It’s time to retire from PC Halo on LAN until these crashes get sorted out. #1 priority after this weekend. I don’t know what it is, but Xbox’s don’t crash as far as I know.”
“I am 100% taking a downgraded experience so we can hold up competitive integrity and the momentum Halo has built up. I don’t want this to leave a scar on future hype of events.”
Snip3down also revealed that his team’s match against G2 Esports has been pushed back until the following day on December 18 after the hours of delays on Day 1.
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I am 100% taking a downgraded experience so we can hold up competitive integrity and the momentum Halo has built up, don’t want this to leave a scar on future hype of events
— FaZe Snip3down (@Snip3down) December 18, 2021
G2 Esports’ Cory ‘Str8 SicK’ Sloss, who faces Snip3down in his next match, also expressed his frustration.
“It’s 10 pm and we have played one pool play match so far,” he said. “I’m pretty sure we still play Divine Mind next on the main stage, but not sure to be honest.”
It’s 10pm and we have played 1 pool play match so far, pretty sure we still play divine mind next on main stage but not sure tbh.
— Str8 SicK (@Str8SicK) December 18, 2021
Naturally, the technical difficulties and delays also impacted the viewer experience. “343, for the love of all things holy, get your sh*t together,” wrote one viewer. “I’ve never seen so many disconnects and crashes at a LAN.”
“The future of the competitive scene for Halo Infinite is going to be permanently damaged because of this,” wrote another. “This is the most dysfunctional state I have ever seen an esports title in during an official event.”
The community hopes the developers and organizers will be able to fix the technical issues in time for Day 2.
