Riot Games to end LoL fighting game 2XK0's development and issue refunds, less than a year since launch
Active development on 2XKO - the free-to-play fighting game from Riot Games - will end in December. This comes not even a year after the game's full release in January, as the company doesn't see "a path toward sustainability". Read more
Riot Games is discontinuing the development of 2XKO, a free-to-play fighting game, less than a year after its launch in January. The company decided against pursuing sustainability for the game, as its revenue, player retention, and engagement were only a fraction of what was required for long-term viability. The final patch will be released in October, and refunds for all in-game purchases made before August 20th will be provided by November.
Servers will remain active indefinitely. Despite the release of new characters like Lux and Samira, none will be unlocked until development ceases. The game's announcement blog revealed that Riot aimed to address problems within the fighting game genre, but 2XKO struggled to retain players, even among diehard tag fighter enthusiasts.
Riot has not announced any layoffs for the 2XKO development team. 2XKO began development almost a decade ago as Project L, initially unveiled in 2019 and later released six years later with positive reviews. The closure of 2XKO marks a second major free-to-play fighting game failure in a row, alongside Warner Bros. MultiVersus, leaving one to question the potential of such a model in a genre that has become increasingly niche outside of its biggest series.
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