3D Printed Halo Guns Take Over Ultimate Gaming Championship’s Recent Tournament

One area in which 3D printing has really excelled as of late is in the reproduction of weapons and props from popular video games. For decades, gamers have been trying to reproduce these often intricate virtual pieces in the actual physical world. The ability to turn an item within a game into a 3D model and then fabricate a near-exact replica of that item on a 3D printer has certainly taken things up a notch or two.

If you are a video game enthusiast, then it’s likely you have either played in, watched, or at least know someone who has participated in some sort of gaming tournament. Some people actually make careers out of their incredible gaming skills. One company called Ultimate Gaming Championship (UGC) caters to these types of people. Whether you want to show off your skills, or make perhaps thousands of dollars, UGC hosts tournaments and leagues in which gamers can meetup, socialize, and have a blast.

Earlier this month, UGC hosted a tournament in St. Louis, MO where gamers came together to compete for $20,000 in prizes. Yes, I said $20,000! The occasion for such a large giveaway? November marked the 10th anniversary of the Halo 2 launch, the first-person shooter video game which was developed by Bungie Studios and released in 2004. I think it’s fair to say that those reading this article have at least heard of the game before.

The event, which drew in over 500 gamers worldwide, and took place over a three day period, from January 2-4, had an extra special component to it this time. Owner and Founder of UGC, Matt Jackson, turned to 3D printing as a way to add to the excitement and energy at the venue.

“I developed and 3D printed several weapons from the game Halo to co-align with the theme of our last event which was a Halo 2 Anniversary 4v4 $20K payout tourney,” explained Jackson to 3DPrint.com. “I thought this was an interesting way to bridge the exposure of 3D printing game props to competitive video gaming.”

Jackson printed out a total of three weapons from the game, which included the standard M6 Hand Gun, a gold MVP Award M6 Hand Gun, and the grandaddy of them all, a Halo 4 Sniper Rifle, which measured a staggering 5.3 feet in length. The weapons were all a big hit, showing the capabilities that 3D printing has, and how those capabilities can be integrated into the gaming space, allowing for the virtual world to merge with that of the physical.

In the end, there was only one Grand Prize winning team, DenialEsports, but in actuality everyone was a winner, as they all seemed to have a blast, as 3D printing inched its way a bit closer to the mainstream. Check out some additional photographs that Matt Jackson was kind enough to share with us below, as well as a video showing the final moments of the tournament. Lets hear your thoughts on yet another amazing use for 3D printing. Discuss in the Ultimate Gaming Championship forum thread on 3DPB.com.