Riot Games has confirmed that 2XKO active development will end in December 2026, although the free-to-play fighting game will remain playable online after development concludes. The company says the game has not attracted enough long-term players to put it on a sustainable path despite strong support from parts of the fighting game community.
Riot will continue releasing content and improvements throughout the remainder of 2026. Lux will arrive in September, followed by Samira in October, while a final bug-fix patch is planned for December if required. After that, the game’s servers will remain online, and 2XKO will continue to be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
The decision follows an evaluation of 2XKO’s performance across revenue, player retention, new-player numbers, and engagement. Riot says releases such as Akali, Senna, Thresh, the Climb PvE mode, and competitive events generated positive reactions, but none produced a meaningful or lasting improvement in the game’s overall trajectory.
According to Riot, 2XKO costs substantially more to operate than it generates, while player engagement has remained relatively flat even after larger updates. The company considered alternatives including reducing the development team, changing the update schedule, and modifying the business model before deciding to finish the remaining content and end active development.
Riot says the game initially attracted sections of the fighting game community, with dedicated tag fighter players embracing its mechanics and competitive scene. However, the company found that most other fighting game players struggled to find enough reasons to continue playing, preventing the game from building the larger audience required to sustain its free-to-play model.
The transition will begin with patch 1.3.1 on September 8. Riot is unlocking all champions for players and will make a range of cosmetic and other items available through Credits. Battle Passes, KO Points, Champion Tokens, seasons, and events will also be removed as part of the changes.
Ranked play will be discontinued, with matchmaking consolidated into Casual lobbies. These lobbies will continue to use skill-based matchmaking, while Private lobbies will remain unaffected. Riot is also adding voice chat and a large map to Private lobbies, with support for up to 40 players in a single lobby.
Riot is also introducing the 2XKO Ultimate Bundle for $39.99, £33.99, or €39.99 with patch 1.3.1. The bundle will include nearly all cosmetic content released up to Lux, including skins, chromas, taunts, and currently available finishers. It will later be expanded to include the remaining skins and cosmetics when Samira arrives.
Players who spent money on 2XKO on or before August 20 will receive refunds. PC players will have eligible KO Points and Starter Edition purchases refunded to their original payment method, while PlayStation and Xbox purchases will be refunded through the respective platforms. Riot expects most PC refunds to be issued within two weeks and aims to complete the process by November 2026.
The final new champion will be Samira, who is scheduled to launch with patch 1.3.3 in October. Riot has described this as the game’s final major content update, while the potential December 1.3.5 patch will focus primarily on bug fixes if it is needed.
Competitive support will continue through the rest of 2026, including prize pools for Major and Challenger events. The final Competitive Series event is scheduled for November, while tournament organisers will be able to continue running 2XKO competitions beyond 2026 under Riot’s Community Competition Guidelines.
Riot has acknowledged that ending active development is a difficult decision, but says its current priority is leaving 2XKO in a strong state for the players who continue to support it. The company also plans to speak with community leaders in the coming weeks as it works through the transition.
