Riot Games has confirmed that active development on its free-to-play 2v2 fighting game 2XKO will wrap up at the end of 2026. The decision stems from the title’s failure to achieve the sustained player base needed for long-term viability.
The game, which features League of Legends champions in tag-team battles, entered early access on PC in October 2025 and launched fully across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles, and PC on January 20, 2026. Early interest was strong, and a dedicated community continues to play daily. However, retention numbers never reached the level required for ongoing support.
Reasons Behind the Decision
In an official statement, Riot explained the situation clearly: “While a lot of you jumped in to try the game and there’s an incredible community that plays every day, we haven’t seen enough players stick with the game to get to a path toward sustainability.” The company added that 2XKO costs substantially more to operate than it generates in revenue, and engagement remained relatively flat even after major updates.
The announcement follows earlier challenges, including a significant staff reduction on the 2XKO team shortly after the full launch. Riot had previously noted that overall momentum had not reached the scale needed to maintain a large development roster.
Content Updates Through the End of 2026
Players will still receive new content through the rest of the year. Two additional champions are planned: Lux arrives in a September patch, followed by Samira in October. Feature improvements and a final bug-fix patch are scheduled for December. After that, active development ends.
As part of the transition, Riot is unlocking every champion for all players. Most cosmetic items will be bundled, and the company is refunding all money spent on 2XKO on or before August 20, 2026. Any content already owned stays with the player. Avatar and profile items will become available through in-game credits.
Servers and Competitive Play After Development Ends
Servers will stay online beyond 2026 to support multiplayer matches on all platforms. Offline play remains fully available. Ranked mode is being removed to consolidate matchmaking into a single player pool per server, while casual lobbies continue to use skill-based matching.
Competitive events will continue through the final Competitive Series tournament in November. After 2026, community organizers can still host offline and online tournaments under Riot’s community guidelines.
2XKO will remain free to download and play after development concludes. Riot has stated it will provide advance notice if server status changes in the future. For many in the fighting game community, the news marks a disappointing close to a project that aimed to bring League of Legends characters into a new genre, even as the core experience stays accessible for those who continue to enjoy it.