Microsoft Makes Million Dollar Push Into E-Sports With Record Halo Prize

Microsoft is making a million dollar push into e-Sports. At the annual Gamescom show in Germany, the Microsoft game studio behind Halo announced that it's giving away a total of $1 million in prize money in its Halo World Championship competition, the most ever for the video game. Gamescom, which is Europe's biggest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment, takes place at the Cologne Exhibition Center in Cologne, Germany every August. This year’s Gamescom showcases more than 300 products from all over the world. The latest game in Microsoft's popular Xbox series, 'Halo 5: Guardians', doesn't hit store shelves until October 27. And even though the Halo series has brought in a whopping $3.5 billion in global sales, Microsoft apparently doesn't want to sit on its laurels. The Microsoft-owned studio behind the game, 343 Industries, began building hype for 'Halo 5: Guardians' with the announcement of the $1 million prize pool, what it calls 'the biggest investment in Xbox eSports history.' The contest, which will kick off later this year, will focus on the game's frenetic, multi-player arena gameplay experience.