Riot Games to End Active Development for 2XKO by December
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Riot Games is ending active development on 2XKO in December due to low player retention, though online servers will remain online for now alongside widespread player refunds and unlocked content.
Riot Games has announced that 2XKO, its League of Legends spinoff fighting game, will officially end active development in December. According to a blog post from the development team, the game failed to retain a large enough active player base to justify continued support, despite launching with plenty of initial attention from the fighting game community. The team noted that while dedicated tag fighter fans embraced the game, it struggled to maintain the broad, long term player numbers needed for a sustainable live service model.
Ahead of the shutdown, Riot is rolling out a final wave of updates, including new champions Lux and Samira, alongside a final bug fix patch in December. The studio is also overhauling the in grade economy by disabling premium currency purchases, refunding all microtransactions made prior to August 20, and unlocking most gameplay content and champions for all players. Systems like battle passes, seasonal events, and ranked lobbies are being stripped away to streamline casual matchmaking, while servers will remain online for the foreseeable future.
The news has hit the fighting game community hard, with prominent tournament organizers and players expressing frustration over how quickly major studios pull the plug on projects that fail to match the unprecedented success of flagship titles like League of Legends. Following recent workforce reductions earlier this year, the writing had largely been on the wall for the project. However, the decision to keep servers running and issue widespread refunds offers a small measure of relief for the dedicated players who plan to keep competing.
As the competitive scene prepares for its final official events through the end of 2026, the situation highlights the brutal realities of modern live service games. For cross platform players and digital asset owners, the news underscores the constant uncertainty surrounding multiplayer titles that rely on continuous player engagement to survive in a crowded market.
Tags: 2XKO, Fighting Games, Riot Games, Esports, Live Service
Original article: IGN South Africa