Players Express Outrage Over Riot’s Cancellation of League Spinoff 2XKO: “I Left My Job for This Game”

2026 is turning out to be a rather disheartening year for gamers. Recently, it was announced that active development on the League of Legends-themed fighting game 2XKO will be halted just eight months after its official launch. A final content patch is set to roll out in October, with development ceasing in December. While the servers will remain operational, players who made in-game purchases before August 20 will receive refunds. The developers noted that despite ongoing content updates, there was “no meaningful, sustained change in 2XKO’s trajectory; only a fraction of what it would take to trend toward sustainability.” They also acknowledged that it became clear they could not continue active development as they had been.

This news has sparked frustration among the 2XKO community, with many players expressing their disappointment over the game’s premature abandonment. Reactions have ranged from “I told you so” to outright despair, but the prevailing sentiment is one of letdown. One fighting game pro humorously lamented, “I quit my job to play this game. Hopefully, I get a refund too,” referencing his recent decision to focus on streaming and competitive play. While some had anticipated this outcome after significant layoffs in February, the announcement still caught many off guard.

Criticism of the company’s leadership has also surfaced, with one streamer pointing out that it seems like the company prioritizes immediate profit over community engagement and game quality. Earlier this year, the company had also ceased development on the well-loved digital card game Legends of Runeterra, which made many wary about 2XKO’s future. Comparisons have been drawn to other games, like the platform fighter Multiversus, which received more support despite 2XKO being backed by a major developer.

The failure of 2XKO has raised concerns about the future of the fighting game genre. A post on a popular subreddit argued that recent financial disappointments in games like 2XKO and Invincible VS could deter investors from backing future projects in this space.

In the face of disappointment, some players have turned to humor and memes to cope with the situation. When 2XKO was first teased in 2019 as Project L, it generated significant excitement within the fighting game community, with many believing it could revolutionize the genre. However, after years of anticipation, the game launched in 2026 with only ten characters, which is quite low for a tag fighter. Its monetization strategy faced backlash for being overly expensive, with a launch skin package costing around $100 in in-game currency. The free-to-play model has historically struggled in the fighting game arena, as seen with Multiversus. Additionally, the game’s title has been criticized for lacking clarity, as many expected a direct connection to League of Legends.

The gameplay itself, while appreciated by hardcore fans, failed to attract a broader audience. With high damage output and complex mix-ups, casual players often found themselves overwhelmed. Tag fighters like 2XKO have always been niche due to their difficulty, and the absence of single-player modes made it less appealing for newcomers. Although the game included simplified controls for beginners, it seems this wasn’t sufficient. As noted by the developers, “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.”

Interestingly, despite not meeting internal targets, 2XKO had a dedicated player base, as evidenced by its strong registration numbers at this year’s Evo Las Vegas, where it ranked third, surpassing longer-supported titles like Guilty Gear Strive. Nonetheless, the developers stated that “2XKO costs us substantially more to operate than it brings in.”

While the fighting game genre is unlikely to disappear anytime soon, thanks to established franchises like Street Fighter and Tekken, the failure of 2XKO may deter publishers from investing in new intellectual properties. The League of Legends fighting game had been in development for nearly a decade.