The full teams are chosen this week by the eight captains

Oct 23, 2014 09:24 GMT  ·  By

The development team at 343 Industries and publisher Microsoft have already announced ambitious plans for the launch of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, with a full-blown HaloFest set to take place in Los Angeles, offering gamers a wide range of experiences associated with the franchise.

Probably the most interesting aspect of the whole pre-launch community-focused event will be the Launch Invitational competition, which will be staged in Burbank at the ESL studio, where 32 eSports professionals will engage in battle using the Anniversary edition of Halo 2, with the big prize being a chance to be the first to play the multiplayer beta of Halo 5: Guardians.

343 Industries states in an official post that “Rather than select full team rosters ourselves, we instead chose eight elite Halo players who will serve as team captains. The team captains have been given approximately one week to select the three teammates that they’ll take into battle at the Launch Invitational.”

The leaders are: Heinz, Naded, Flamesword, Tsquared, Riotz, Formal, Ninja and Gandhi.

All the action from the Halo: The Master Chief Collection Launch Invitational will be streamed on the official Halo site and on Twitch with full commentary.

343 Industries adds, “On November 10, the venue - and title - will switch as we take over the Avalon Theater in Los Angeles. On the eve of the game's launch, you’ll have a chance to see the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta before its December release – the winning team from the Halo: The Master Chief Collection Launch Invitational will be the first to play the Beta, and will provide us with a first glimpse into what’s on the way.”

Halo will dominate the next 12 months at Microsoft

During the same event, fans of the Halo universe will also be able to get more details on the Nightfall live action series that Ridley Scott has created, designed to introduce Agent Locke, a character that will play a big role in the coming experiences associated with the franchise.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be out on November 11 and all those who get it can join the winter multiplayer beta for Guardians, which will showcase some of the core mechanics of the new installment.

Microsoft is not at the moment willing to offer more details about the story of Halo 5, but rumors have suggested that gamers will have to get accustomed to new characters while dealing with a range of new enemies.