Riot Games Announces Shut Down of 2XKO Development After Weak Launch

Riot Games has announced that development on 2XKO is shutting down this year. According to the studio, the League of Legends-based fighting game failed to attract enough players to sustain long-term support. The final major content update is scheduled to land in October, though the game will remain playable both online and offline for the foreseeable future.

In an official announcement, Riot stated that while an incredible community played daily, player numbers ultimately fell short of a sustainable path forward. The struggles for 2XKO were evident at launch, marked by 80 employee layoffs immediately following release. Riot noted that the project aimed to satisfy frustrated members of the fighting game community while making the genre more accessible to newcomers. Despite seeing small-scale success with this approach, engagement remained relatively flat despite larger updates, and the game reportedly costs substantially more to operate than it brings in.

2XKO originally launched in January 2026 as a free-to-play title supported by microtransactions. Riot confirmed that all purchases made up until August 20 will be refunded to players in the coming weeks. An update arriving on September 8 will unlock all champions for everyone alongside the release of Lux, a character previously announced at Evo 2026. At the same time, a final $40 bundle containing all previously released cosmetic items will become available. The final champion, Samira, will arrive in October as part of the game's final major content patch.

Looking ahead, Riot indicated it will return to research and development to explore new genres and ways to bring players together.