Disheartening News for 2XKO Fans

Riot Games has announced that it will be ending the development of its free-to-play fighting game, 2XKO, less than a year after its full release in January. The decision comes as a result of the company’s inability to find a path toward sustainability, with the game’s performance – including revenue, player retention, and engagement – being only a fraction of what it would take for the game to be sustainable.

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According to a blog post from Riot Games, the company had hoped to address major problems present in the genre when development started. The post states: ‘While the genre progressed significantly in the last ten or so years, we believe 2X delivered on many of these promises.’ However, it appears that not enough players stayed with 2XKO despite its attempts at answering community woes, with the post explaining: ‘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.’

As a result of the decision to end development, the final patch for the game will be released in October, and all in-game purchases made before August 20th will be refunded by November. Servers will be kept online for the foreseeable future, allowing players to continue enjoying the game. However, ranked lobbies will be disabled, with skill-based casual matchmaking remaining the sole public online option.

All announced major additions, including the new characters Lux and Samira, will still be coming to the game, but will be unlocked once development ends. Players will still be able to buy a big bundle containing almost all cosmetic items in the game for $39.99 / £33.99 / €39.99.

The game’s development team has not been laid off, and many of the developers who were let go in February have found new roles within the company. The game first started development almost a decade ago, starting off life as Project L when Tom and Tony Cannon from Radiant Entertainment joined Riot Games to start work on the fighting game.

It’s a sad day for 2XKO fans, who had been eagerly awaiting new content and features for the game. The decision to end development marks the second major free-to-play fighting game release to shut down after struggling to find a sizable audience, alongside Warner Bros’ MultiVersus. It raises questions about the viability of the free-to-play model in a genre that seems increasingly niche outside of its biggest series.

Riot Games has not provided a timeline for when the servers will be shut down, but it’s clear that the company is moving on from 2XKO. The game’s legacy will live on, but it’s a bittersweet end to a project that had shown so much promise.

What’s Next for 2XKO?

While the game’s development has come to an end, its community will continue to thrive. Players will still be able to enjoy the game’s content, including the new characters and cosmetic items. However, it’s unclear what the future holds for the game’s servers, and fans will be eagerly awaiting any updates from Riot Games.

As for the game’s development team, it’s clear that they will be moving on to new projects within the company. Many of the developers who were let go in February have found new roles, and it’s likely that they will be working on new and exciting projects in the future.

The end of 2XKO’s development marks a significant moment for the fighting game genre, and raises questions about the viability of the free-to-play model. However, it’s also a testament to the dedication and passion of the game’s community, who will continue to support and play the game even in its final days.