Mathew Fiorante, or “Royal2” as he’s better known, further solidified his legacy in the realm of Halo esports with yet another Halo Championship Series (HCS) title.
Fiorante, representing Shopify Rebellion along with his teammates Cykul, LastShot, and Bradley ‘Frosty’ Bergstrom, defeated Optic Gaming in the event’s grand final late last October.
With the win, both Fiorante and Bergstrom are now four-time HCS champions.
Despite the repeat success he’s enjoyed since his first championship win in 2016, Fiorante said he tries his best to stay grounded and maintain a certain mindset.
“I won’t say it feels the same, but I think I treat every win like the world championship,” he explained. “After you win, you have people that come to you [and say] ‘Oh, you’re the greatest of all time,’ and stuff like that and I’m like, ‘I don’t feel like I am,’” he chuckled.
Fiorante’s fourth win came off a disappointing end to the 2024 season, resulting in his team placing third in the world championship final.
“The mindset was definitely different. I know we struggled last year, and we even had to make some team changes, which is something I was not used to,” he noted.
Shopify Rebellion kicked off the season on the right foot, securing a win in the pre-season.
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However, the four-man team fell just short in their next two performances, placing second in both. What followed was an undefeated streak that lasted right through to the world championship in Seattle.
“We knew we were really talented, and then actually the last three tournaments in the season, we ended up winning some went back-to-back-to-back,” he explained.
“Yeah, I think that’s like towards the end of the season, I think we just kind of showed [everyone] who the better team was.”
Few and far between
Fiorante is a rarity among rarities. Halo esports is mostly dominated by players based in the U.S. with a minority of competitors hailing from Mexico, Australia, France, the U.K. and finally Canada.
A four-time HCS champion hailing from Regina is a definite outlier. On top of this, Fiorante’s brother Chris (Royal1) is also a two-time HCS champion.
It all started in the mid-2000’s when Mathew and Chris got their first taste of Halo’s multiplayer experience at a friend’s house in Regina. After getting handily defeated, they committed themselves to getting better.
The seed of competition was planted, and the rest is truly history.
Fiorante classified his now prolific place in Halo esports as an honour.
“I don’t know if it’s a big responsibility, but I just feel honoured to be able to showcase Canada at the biggest stage,” he said.
End of an era
The 2025 Halo World Championship also marked the final year of the series’ latest instalment, Halo Infinite, would be marketed as an esports title.
Going into 2026, the Halo esports circuit will centre on community-focused events as the wait for a new mainline instalment continues.
The decision means the Fiorante and company had the opportunity to go out on top – and forever be the last reigning champs of the Halo Infinite era of esports.
“I think that kind of made the fourth one, the fourth ring, a little bit more impactful for me since it was kind of like the last one of the game, last one of the season and you don’t know when the next season will start off, it could be like next year or the year after.”
While reflecting on his now nearly decade-long career in the sport, Fiorante was asked what he would say to himself if he could travel back in time.
His answer was simple: stay the course.
“I think I’ve led the path for myself, and I didn’t really know it back then, but I think I just kept working hard throughout my whole gaming career,” he explained. “Honestly, at this point, I can’t really complain. I think I was going down the right path.”
