Riot Games has announced that active development on its free-to-play fighting game 2XKO will end in December 2026 and the studio is refunding all money players have spent, unlocking every champion, and keeping the servers online after the final patch. It is a huge shift for the tag fighter, and Riot has been candid about why it is happening.
In a lengthy post on the official Riot Games site, the team explained that it has been watching the game's numbers closely and did not like what it saw. Riot said that despite plenty of curious players and a passionate core community, not enough people were sticking around for the game to become sustainable.
So what is actually happening to 2XKO?
The good news for existing players is that 2XKO is not shutting down. Riot confirmed that servers will remain on beyond 2026 and the game will stay playable on all platforms, with offline play unaffected. Riot says it will give advance notice if any of that changes.
Before the shutters come down on active development, there is still content on the way. Through the rest of 2026 Riot plans to roll out content, feature improvements, and two new champions - Lux and Samira - with the intent to deliver a final bug fix patch in December.
Wait, Riot is refunding my money?
Yes. As part of doing right by players, Riot is making some big goodwill moves. Here is what is changing:
All champions are being unlocked for every player.
Most cosmetic items are being bundled together.
All money spent in 2XKO on or before August 20 is being refunded.
Any content you already own is yours to keep.
Avatar and player profile items will be unlockable for Credits.
These changes arrive in patch 1.3.1, scheduled for September.
How did we get here?
Riot said its dream was to build a fighting game the community would love to play with friends, bringing its take on live service to the genre. The team aimed to tackle familiar FGC pain points by building more reliable netcode, making the ranked grind less lonely, and committing to more frequent updates and it believes 2XKO delivered on many of those promises.
The free-to-play model was meant to make fighting games more accessible and discoverable, ideally earning the trust of core players first and then growing into a larger playerbase as more features and content came online. Riot acknowledged from the start that free-to-play carries a minimum player requirement to support those ambitions.
Early on there were real signs of life. Riot noted that pockets of the FGC fully embraced 2XKO: players pushed the game to its limits in high-level play, duos became a great way to team up, tournament organizers added it to weekly lineups, and fans kept asking for more. The problem, in Riot's words, is that it just was not happening enough. Diehard tag fighter players loved 2XKO, but most other fighting game players struggled to find reasons to stick with it.
Why end active development instead of scaling back?
Riot said it evaluated the game's overall performance - not just revenue, but retention, new players, and engagement - across 2026. There were positive reactions to releases like Akali, Senna, Thresh, The Climb (PVE), and competitive events, but even those highlights produced no meaningful, sustained change in the game's trajectory.
Quote From Riot Games To be super clear: we would have continued active development 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.
What is coming in the rest of 2026?
For the remainder of the year, Riot will finish work-in-progress content, fix bugs, and make balance changes ahead of that final December bug fix pass. Here is how the rollout breaks down.
August 20 changes
KO Points purchases are being disabled ahead of the 2XKO Ultimate Bundle and in-game refunds.
Physical prepaid cards will no longer be usable in 2XKO, though they still work for currencies in Riot's other games.
Remaining KO Points can be spent in the rotating store before patch 1.3.1.
Refunds begin for purchases made prior to August 20.
On the refund process, Riot laid out the details by platform:
PC players: All KO Points and 2XKO Starter Edition purchases made prior to August 20 will be refunded to the payment method used. Riot plans to distribute most refunds within two weeks and hopes to finish all PC refunds by November 2026.
PlayStation and Xbox players: KO Points and 2XKO Starter Edition purchases will be refunded through the platform and provider used. PlayStation or Xbox customer support may reach out to confirm payment details.
Japan and Korea servers: KO Points refunds will be conducted in compliance with local law, with further details to follow.
September 8 - Patch 1.3.1
As announced at Evo 2026, Lux, the Lady of Luminosity, arrives with patch 1.3.1. Riot describes her as a shoto-inspired character with a simple kit who harnesses the power of light to illuminate her enemies. This patch also brings a wave of structural changes:
A 2XKO Ultimate Bundle launches, containing all skins, skin chromas, and taunts for every champion up to and including Lux, plus all currently-released finishers, for $39.99 / £33.99 / €39.99.
Avatar items, select base champion chromas, stages, and player profile items become unlockable for Credits.
The Credits limit is uncapped from 12,000.
Battle Passes, KO Points, Champion Tokens, seasons, and events are being removed.
Ranked is being removed, with matchmaking streamlined within Casual lobbies.
Casual lobbies will still be matchmade by skill, and Private lobbies are unaffected.
Most gameplay content is being unlocked for all players.
What do you think of Riot's decision to wind down 2XKO - is refunding everyone and unlocking all champs the right way to go out? Let us know in the comments.
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