Riot Games to end LoL fighting game 2XK0’s development and issue refunds, less than a year since launch

===Riot Games Pulls the Plug on Free-to-Play Fighter 2XKO, Refunds Incoming===

[A disappointing day for fighting game fans as Riot Games announces the end of active development for their ambitious free-to-play fighter, 2XKO.]

In a move that’s sent shockwaves through the gaming community, Riot Games has announced it will be ceasing active development on its free-to-play fighting game, 2XKO. This comes less than a year after the full release in January and despite efforts to innovate within the genre. The decision, communicated via social media and detailed in a lengthy blog post“>a comprehensive blog post, cites a lack of “a path toward sustainability” as the primary reason for the shutdown.

A Final Patch and Refunds on the Horizon

The final patch for 2XKO is slated to arrive in October. Players who made in-game purchases before August 20th will receive refunds by November. While servers will remain online, active development, including new character releases and major gameplay updates, has been halted.

Interestingly, previously announced characters like Lux and Samira will still be added to the game before development ends. All characters will then be unlocked, effectively making the entire roster available to all players. A significant bundle containing almost all cosmetic items will also be offered for a one-time purchase price of $39.99 / £33.99 / €39.99. However, ranked lobbies will be disabled, leaving only skill-based casual matchmaking as the public online option.

The Vision Behind 2XKO: A Bold Attempt to Innovate

In a section of the blog post titled “What was Riot’s Goal with 2XKO?”, the developers explained their ambition to address key issues within the fighting game genre. They believed that 2XKO delivered on many of these promises, aiming to create a more accessible and engaging experience for players. However, despite its innovative approach, the game struggled to retain a large enough audience.

“Even within the genre, diehard tag fighter players loved 2XKO, but most other fighting game players struggled to find reasons to stick with the game,” the post explains, highlighting the challenge of appealing to both hardcore fans and newcomers. The blog further revealed that the game’s performance metrics – including revenue, player retention, and engagement – were “only a fraction” of what was needed for long-term sustainability, making continued active development “impossible.”

Past Layoffs and a Long Development Journey

While Riot Games has not announced any further layoffs related to the 2XKO shutdown, it’s worth remembering that roughly half of the development roles on the game“>were eliminated less than 30 days after its release. While some of these developers transitioned to other projects within Riot, others were unfortunately laid off.

The journey of 2XKO began almost a decade ago as “Project L,” when Tom and Tony Cannon from Radiant Entertainment joined Riot Games to spearhead the fighting game project. The game was officially revealed in 2019“>, and eventually released six years later to positive reviews“>. This marks the second major free-to-play fighting game release (alongside Warner Bros’ MultiVersus“>) to shut down after struggling to find a sizable audience. One has to wonder if the model can work in a genre that seems increasingly niche outside of its biggest series.

It’s undoubtedly sad news. 2XKO had a lot of potential, and the desire to entice casual players through duo play was an admirable one. The future remains uncertain for fighting games attempting to break into the free-to-play market.

Source: Eurogamer