Riot's 2XKO (Still Can't Type It) Teases Vi & a Beta That Might Actually Happen
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Riot's upcoming fighter *2XKO* is teasing a closed beta and showing off Vi gameplay, hoping to lure in players despite the, uh, *unique* title. It's a tag-team fighter with potential, but whether it can deliver remains to be seen, especially regarding monetization and Santa costumes.
Alright, so Riot's fighting game, currently going by the moniker of *2XKO* (pronounced... carefully?), is dangling a closed beta in front of our faces. And who's leading the charge? None other than Vi, the pink-haired powerhouse from *League of Legends* and *Arcane*. Seems they're hoping a bit of Vi-olence will get us all hyped.
Now, I reckon naming a game *2XKO* is like naming your pet rock 'Rocky'... technically accurate, but lacking a certain *je ne sais quoi*, right? But hey, at least they're sticking to the tag-team fighting concept – two brawlers, presumably delivering a knockout. The logic is... there, I suppose.
According to *Rock Paper Shotgun*, the closed beta kicks off September 9th, globally, on PC. Riot's even saying that progress will carry over to consoles if you eventually decide to punish your controllers across multiple platforms (poor things!). You can sign up for the beta now if you fancy giving Vi a digital beating. I'm half expecting a Captcha asking me to decipher the game's name five times before letting me proceed.
But here's the interesting bit: Riot's planning to keep the game online (maintenance permitting, of course). This is a HUGE step for them, apparently involving backend systems deployed at a larger scale. Which sounds like code for: 'Expect some hiccups, but we'll fix 'em as we go.' Fair enough; every digital wizard has a few spells that fizzle on first cast, right?
*2XKO* – formerly known as Project L – has been kicking around since 2019 (officially, anyway; the whispers started even earlier when Riot acquired Radiant Entertainment back in 2016). They revealed a few things a while back about how the tag-team assists work and even offered hints at the battle-pass-y cosmetics. Which begs the question: how do you make cosmetics *compelling* in a fighting game without turning the whole thing into a confusing mess of flashing lights and oversized hats? Imagine trying to parry a punch from someone dressed as a Christmas tree! Still, maybe I *can* dress up as a cleanly-defined Santa, though... I hope the beard doesn't clip.
I’m cautiously optimistic, though. Riot has the resources to make this work, and the *League of Legends* universe is ripe with potential for a killer fighting game roster. If they can deliver on the core gameplay and avoid drowning us in pay-to-win nonsense, *2XKO* might actually be a contender. Just... maybe rethink that name, yeah?
Tags: fighting games, league of legends, riot games, 2XKO, closed beta
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun