Riot Games Halts Active Development on 2XKO After Poor Player Retention
Los Angeles, Friday, 21 August 2026.
Riot Games will cease active development on its fighting game 2XKO in December due to poor retention, taking the rare step of refunding all player purchases.
Announcement of Development Halt
Tencent-owned Riot Games has officially confirmed that active development on its fighting game 2XKO will cease by December 2026 [1][2]. This decision comes less than a year after the title’s initial release on PC and consoles in January 2026, marking a significant strategic pivot for the studio [1]. While live servers and basic platform accessibility will remain operational beyond 2026, the final content patches and updates are scheduled to roll out through December [1][2]. The company cited insufficient player retention as the primary driver for this conclusion, noting that initial interest levels did not translate into long-term sustainability [1].
Refund Policy and Server Status
In a move to maintain player trust, Riot Games announced it would refund all money spent in 2XKO on or before August 20, 2026 [1][2]. As today is August 21, 2026, the window for eligible spending has closed, being 1 day(s) past the cutoff date [1]. All content owned by players will remain accessible, and avatar and player profile items will be unlockable for Credits in patch 1.3.1 scheduled for September [1]. Servers will stay online to support online play indefinitely, though offline play remains unaffected by these changes [1][2].
Development Timeline and Workforce Impact
The road to this decision was marked by operational challenges, including the layoff of approximately 80 people working on the game barely a month out from its release [1]. Despite these setbacks, 2XKO managed to feature in several fighting game tournaments, debuting on the EVO main stage earlier in 2026 [1]. The development team plans to remain active through the end of 2026 to deliver final improvements, including two new champions, Lux and Samira [1][2]. The final bug fix patch is expected to be delivered in December, after which the team will transition away from active support [1][2].
Market Retention and Strategic Outlook
Riot Games expressed candidness regarding the high-level play and interest that failed to meet the minimum threshold necessary to sustain the game economically [1]. The studio had originally aimed to build the audience over time by earning the trust of core fighting game players before expanding [1]. However, the retention metrics did not align with the live-service model requirements, prompting the early cessation of active development [1][2]. This outcome highlights the ongoing monetization and retention challenges faced by major publishers in the competitive live-service gaming market [1].