Who is this Halo-themed Swarovski crystal for?
The most extravagant video game tat
Hey you, do you want a crystal replica of John Master Chief's helmet and energy sword? No, me neither, but it's something you can get now for some reason. To celebrate Halo Infinite's release, as well as Halo's 20th anniversary, Xbox have collaborated with Swarovski to make the Halo-themed crystals that fans can win via a sweepstakes or charity campaign. You can't buy them. I don't know if you'd want to? They look very expensive.
So, the offerings are a Master Chief Mjolnir helmet made from a single piece of crystal, and a pointy Covenant Energy Sword cut from 13 pieces of crystal. Only 117 sets have been made, in reference to Master Chef's Spartan number.
There is some weird gamer merch out there, but these have got to be one of the more baffling items I've seen. I'm sure there are a handful of people who have interests in both Halo and Swarovski crystals, but it's such an odd matchup. I wonder if Xbox reached out to Swarovski first about this, or if it was the other way around? Don't get me wrong, I bet the Halo crystals will look lovely on a shelf, but who's idea was it to make them in the first place?
Swarovski have some delightful and inspiring quotes about Halo on their website at the moment: "Following themes of fearless exploration, heroism, and untethered imagination, this Master Chief Helmet figurine is a tangible reminder to work towards your every goal."
Thanks, crystal Master Chef. I wonder if Hinfinite will get a skin so I can make my Spartan's head a giant gemstone.
If you fancy trying to get your hands on a set, you can fill out a form on the Swarovski website (for US residents only), or visit an IRL store to put your name in the ring (there are a couple shops participating in Europe, check out the list below that form).
You can also be in the running to win one of 20 sets via this StockX Charity campaign (again, only for US folks). You can enter the sweepstakes by paying $10, or for free by giving your contact info to StockX.
Elsewhere in actual Halo news, Infinite's campaign launch trailer went live yesterday. It looks good! And very dramatic, of course. It's not long now 'til we can play it either - the campaign arrives next week on December 8th.