Spacestation Gaming (SSG) has cemented their place at the top of the competitive Halo world, emerging as the Halo World Championship 2024 (HWC) winners after a thrilling 4-3 victory against OpTic Gaming in the Grand Final. This showdown marks a rematch from last month’s HCS Salt Lake City Major, but this time SSG didn’t need a bracket reset to claim their US$400,000 prize.

The roster consists of:

• Adam “Bound” Gray (USA)
• Kevin “Eco” Smith (USA)
• Braedon “Stellur” Boettcher (USA)
• Kaci “Lqgend” Sabri (France)

With this win, Spacestation Gaming adds another trophy to their already impressive streak in 2024, following victories at the HCS Atlanta Major and HCS Salt Lake City Major. It’s been a year of domination, and their epic run culminated in the most dramatic fashion. Despite OpTic taking an early 3-0 lead, just one map away from resetting the bracket, SSG flipped the switch. What followed was a remarkable reverse sweep, winning four straight maps to secure the title.

A standout performance came from Kaci “Lqgend” Sabri, who earned MVP honours with 110 kills throughout the series, showing up when it mattered most for his team. This win also makes Lqgend the first non-North American player to win a championship ring. With this latest triumph, Spacestation Gaming has rightfully claimed the title of the best Halo team in the world right now.

The OpTic Curse

For OpTic Gaming, the sting of defeat grows heavier. This loss marks their sixth consecutive Grand Final defeat, a painful streak stretching back to the Halo World Championship 2023. While their consistency in reaching the finals is undeniable, they just can’t seem to clinch the win. And this time, the manner of their defeat—blowing a 3-0 lead and suffering a reverse sweep—makes it all the more agonizing.

What’s next for OpTic? Rumours are swirling that this may have been Matthew “FormaL” Piper’s last season before a potential return to Call of Duty for the Black Ops 6 season. Whether or not that comes to pass, it’s clear that OpTic has some soul-searching to do before heading into 2025.