So Riot is pulling the plug finally.
The fighter game launched on console in January. Active development ends in December, and the last major content patch arrives in October.
Riot's own words explain the situation: it would have kept going "if we saw any viable future," but 2XKO "costs us substantially more to operate than it brings in, and engagement has stayed relatively flat despite our larger updates."
The team put some content recently such as Akali, Senna, Thresh and a PvE mode called The Climb through 2026, alongside a full competitive calendar. Reception was ok but none of it moved the numbers. Riot describes seeing "no meaningful, sustained change in 2XKO's trajectory" even during the highlight moments.
Riot spoke to PC Gamer and stated "diehard tag fighter players loved 2XKO, but most other fighting game players struggled to find reasons to stick with the game." Plenty of people tried it. A narrow slice stayed.
The refunds
According to release purchases before 20 August is being refunded, and players can keep what they bought.
- PC: KO Points and 2XKO Starter Edition back to the original payment method, most within two weeks, all by November 2026
- Console: will be processed through PlayStation and Xbox
- Japan and Korea servers: handled in compliance with local law
KO Point sales were disabled on 20 August. Any remaining balance can be spent in the rotating store until 8 September.
What's still coming
Patch 1.3.1, 8 September. Lux arrives, confirmed at Evo 2026. Every champion unlocks for every player so you can play one last time. Battle Passes, KO Points, Champion Tokens, seasons and events are removed. Ranked lobbies are off, with Casual becoming a single skill-based pool per server. Private lobbies stay and gain voice chat plus a large map supporting up to 40 players.
Patch 1.3.3, October. Samira, the final champion. The Ultimate Bundle updates to include all remaining skins and cosmetics. Last major content patch.
Patch 1.3.5, December. Bug fixes. Nothing new.
Servers stay online beyond 2026. Offline play is unaffected. The game remains free to download on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series XS.
The warning six months ago
Riot cut roughly 80 people from the 2XKO staff earlier this year. Executive producer Tom Cannon said at the time that momentum hadn't reached "the level needed to support a team of this size in the long term."
Riot says it considered shrinking the team further, slowing patches, or changing the business model before settling on this. Competitive events continue through 2026, and the team is still working on what it can do for tournament organisers, competitors and creators.
"There's no perfect way to handle a decision like this," Riot wrote "back into the R&D lab, where we'll take time to learn and work on how we come back stronger for the next swing at the next genre."
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