Riot Games Ends Active Development on Fighting Game 2XKO After Less Than a Year
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Riot Games is ending active development on 2XKO less than a year after launch, citing low player retention and high operating costs, though servers will remain online and full refunds are being issued to players.
Riot Games has officially announced the end of active development for 2XKO, its League of Legends spin-off fighting game, less than a year after its official launch. According to Polygon, the studio confirmed that while the game attracted a dedicated daily player base following its release, it failed to achieve the long-term retention and revenue needed for sustainability. Even strong showings at major competitive events like Evo 2026 failed to spark the consistent growth required to keep the project viable.
Despite winding down major operations, Riot plans to roll out its final scheduled updates over the coming months. Champions Lux and Samira will join the roster in September and October respectively, followed by a final bug-fix patch in December. Servers will remain online for online play, and offline modes will stay fully functional. In a consumer-friendly move, Riot is disabling the premium KO currency and issuing full refunds for all purchases made on or before August 20 across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms.
This outcome closes the book on a project that spent nearly a decade in development and testing. While the fighting game community embraced the 2v2 tag fighter as a major competitive title, high operating costs and flat engagement ultimately forced Riot to pivot away from the genre. For a studio accustomed to massive, unending live-service hits, the decision highlights just how difficult it is to crack new genres in today's crowded market, even with one of the biggest intellectual properties in gaming.
Tags: Riot Games, 2XKO, Fighting Games, League of Legends, Industry News
Original article: Polygon