2XKO is Shutting Down Development: Riot Refunds Players, Reveals Lux and Samira

After nearly a year of operation, League-inspired fighting game 2XKO will officially halt updates in January 2027. Why did Riot decide to end development, and what does this mean for players? Let’s recap.

2XKO is Shutting Down Development

Riot Games first officially revealed 2XKO in 2024 under the name Project L. The fighting game would be the first of its kind in League of Legends‘ Runeterra universe, joining auto-battler Teamfight Tactics to court a different genre niche. It garnered enthusiasm in the FGC and featured several popular League Champions right off the bat. Ahri, Jinx, Vi, Ekko, and other big names arrived from the rift, launching officially in late January 2026.

After seven months of activity, the title has undergone plenty of changes. Its small but dedicated fanbase has watched characters like Blitzcrank join the fray and enjoyed new mechanics. On August 20, 2026, however, Riot Games announced that it will sunset 2XKO development for good.

“With a heavy heart, the [2XKO] team shares an update about the future,” the official X.com post said. “Active development will end in December. The final content patch goes live in October.”

With a heavy heart, the @Play2XKO team shares an update about the future.
– Active development will end in December.
– The final content patch goes live in October.
– Servers stay online.
– In-game purchases made before August 20 will be refunded.https://t.co/3UQF7kh5S4 pic.twitter.com/FKquzTd6xc

— Riot Games (@riotgames) August 20, 2026

Why is 2XKO Shutting Down?

The 2XKO team elaborated on the decision in a website release, revealing that it stemmed from a lack of player involvement:

“Over the last few months, we’ve been monitoring 2XKO’s trajectory closely, and what we’ve seen is painting a clear, consistent picture: while a lot of you jumped in to try the game and there’s an incredible community that plays every day, we haven’t seen enough players stick with the game to get to a path toward sustainability.“

The development team acknowledged that the project had a dedicated fan base. However, it wasn’t expanding at a scale that would allow for permanent development.

The situation is perhaps best summarized in this section:

“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. When we looked at all the options available […] we concluded that finishing the rest of our work-in-progress content and sunsetting active development was the best route forward for players and Rioters.”

‘No Change in Trajectory’

Riot notes that at the beginning, “pockets of the FGC” were becoming involved, and 2XKO’s marketing was “working at a small scale.” However, the studio was struggling to court casual players and new fans: “diehard tag fighter players loved 2XKO, but most other fighting game players struggled to find reasons to stick with the game.”

After releasing major updates, 2XKO’s development team noticed upticks in player engagement. “Even in these highlight moments, however, we saw no meaningful, sustained change in 2XKO’s trajectory; only a fraction of what it would take to trend toward sustainability. Over time it became clear it would be impossible for us to continue actively developing the game as we are today.“

The team reportedly continued for several months to try out bold changes that could reinvigorate its efforts. They ultimately concluded that “to attempt another year hoping for a way forward would have been an irresponsible choice for players and the dev team.”

What Will Happen to 2XKO? Can I Still Play After the Shutdown?

Digital game ownership has become a hot topic in recent years. Many publishers are completely eliminating access to projects after they cease development, leaving players unable to access even content they paid for. Luckily, that won’t be happening with 2XKO: its servers will stay up for the foreseeable future, but there won’t be any new patches after January 2027.

Riot clarified that “2XKO remains online and playable, and we aren’t going anywhere yet. We’ve still got more content to show you through the end of this year.”

2XKO Reveals Lux and Samira

Several new Champions will arrive to the roster. Here’s a quick summary of upcoming patches:

September 8

• Lux joins the 2XKO roster.
• The 2XKO Ultimate Bundle (including all Champion content) becomes available for 40 USD / 40 GBP/ 40 Euro.
• More content will become available for free.
• “Battle Passes, KO Points, Champion Tokens, seasons, and events will be removed.”
• All Champions will be unlocked for all players.

October

• Samira joins the 2XKO roster.

Will Ranked Still Work in 2XKO?

After the game sunsets, 2XKO is disabling its Ranked mode. Instead, Ranked players will queue into the regular Casual pool. However, casual lobbies will still have skill-based matchmaking with MMR.

2XKO Refunds All Purchases

As the game ceases operations, Riot Games will refund all in-game currency and item purchases. The studio is also ‘disabling the ability to purchase KO points.’

How to Get a 2XKO Refund

Refunds will occur automatically, and every purchase made before the announcement on August 20, 2026 is eligible. They will roll out on the specific platforms and payment methods players used to make the buys, so check your credit card provider or preferred e-transfer site for updates.

Stay tuned for more League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics news and in-game updates.