Riot Games to end 2XKO development as operating costs exceed revenue

Riot Games has officially announced that it will stop actively developing 2XKO, its tag-team fighting game, at the end of 2026. The game will stay online and playable after that point but Riot will no longer be building new content, features, or characters for it beyond what’s already planned for this year.

In a statement, Riot said it has spent the last few months watching how the game has been performing and came away with a consistent conclusion: while plenty of people tried the game and a dedicated community plays it daily, not enough players have stuck around for the game to become sustainable long-term.

The studio was direct about the reasoning, saying 2XKO costs substantially more to run than it brings in and that engagement has stayed roughly flat even after major updates. Riot said it looked at other options, including shrinking the team, changing the patch schedule, or adjusting the business model, but decided that finishing the content already in progress and then ending active development was the best path for both players and staff.

Alongside the announcement, Riot outlined several changes tied to winding down active development. All champions in the game are being unlocked for everyone. Most cosmetic items are being bundled together, and Riot is refunding money spent in 2XKO on or before August 20. As of August 20, Riot has also turned off the ability to purchase KO Points, the game’s premium currency, ahead of these changes.

Finally, Riot stated that it plans to release the remaining content it has been working on between now and December, including two new characters, along with feature improvements and bug fixes. After shipping a final bug-fix update in December, the servers will remain online to support online play. Offline play will not be affected by any of this. Riot said it will provide advance notice if any of these plans change.

The confirmed halt in 2XKO’s development could also have a major impact on its esports community. Riot had been building out an esports presence around the game through partnerships, including signing on as an event partner for Frosty Faustings XVIII and unveiling a sponsorship programme called First Impact meant to support 22 community-organised tournaments for 2XKO. For now, players and tournament organisers are left wondering what comes next for the game’s esports scene.