Riot Games has announced the cessation of active development on its free-to-play fighting game, 2XKO, with a final patch scheduled for October and development concluding in December. This decision comes less than a year after the game's full release in January, as the company has stated it does not foresee a sustainable future for the title. All in-game purchases made before August 20 will be refunded by November, and the game's servers will remain operational indefinitely.
Despite the end of active development, Riot Games will still release all previously announced major additions, including new characters Lux and Samira. Upon the conclusion of development, all characters will be unlocked for players. A comprehensive cosmetic bundle will be available for purchase at $39.99 / £33.99 / €39.99. While ranked lobbies will be disabled, skill-based casual matchmaking will continue to be the sole online option.
Riot Games originally aimed to address long-standing issues within the fighting game genre with 2XKO. The company noted that the game successfully delivered on many of these promises, particularly resonating with dedicated tag fighter enthusiasts. However, the broader fighting game community struggled to find compelling reasons to remain engaged with 2XKO, leading to insufficient player retention and engagement. According to Riot Games, the game's performance, encompassing revenue, player retention, and engagement, was merely a fraction of what was necessary for sustainability, rendering continued development unfeasible.
This marks the second free-to-play fighting game, following Warner Bros.' MultiVersus, to cease operations after failing to cultivate a substantial player base. The development of 2XKO began nearly a decade ago as Project L, following the integration of Tom and Tony Cannon from Radiant Entertainment into Riot Games. The game was officially revealed in 2019 and eventually launched six years later to positive reviews.
Riot Games has not confirmed any layoffs related to the 2XKO development team at this time. In February, Riot Games had reduced the development roles on the game by approximately half, less than a month after its release. While many of those affected found new positions within Riot, some were laid off.