Riot Ends 2XKO Development After Less Than a Year
Riot Games will end active development on its fighting game 2XKO in December, offering refunds for purchases made before August 20.
The Update
Riot Games announced it will end active development on its tag-team fighting game 2XKO in December, less than a year after its full release in January. The final patch is scheduled for October, after which the game will receive bug fixes and new content, including two new champions, Lux and Samira. All in-game purchases made before August 20 will be refunded by November, and servers will remain online for the foreseeable future. Ranked lobbies will be disabled, leaving skill-based casual matchmaking as the sole public online option.
Why It Matters
Despite addressing community concerns and receiving high-level play interest, 2XKO failed to achieve the player retention and engagement levels required for long-term sustainability. The company stated that performance was only a fraction of what is needed for the game to be sustainable. This marks a significant pivot for Riot, which has invested heavily in the project since its inception over a decade ago.
What to Watch
Riot has not announced layoffs for the 2XKO team as of writing. The company will unlock all characters and bundle most cosmetic items for purchase after development ends.
Sources
- eurogamer.net — Development end date, refund policy, server status, and content roadmap.
- kotaku.com — Context on the game's troubled launch and the rationale behind the decision.
