2XKO
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Active development on League of Legends fighting game spinoff 2XKO will be coming to an end at the end of the year
Riot Games is ending active development on its League of Legends fighting game spinoff, 2XKO, at the end of the year due to insufficient player adoption and retention. While servers will remain live beyond 2026, the game will become fully playable with all characters unlocked and purchases made before August 20th will be refunded. The final major patch in October will add Samira, following Lux's addition in September.
2XKO will end active development in December 2026
Riot Games has announced that active development for their fighting game 2XKO will cease in December 2026. While all remaining revealed content, including new characters Lux and Samira, will be released, the final content patch will arrive in October, followed by a last balance and bug fix update at the year's end. Servers will remain online after development concludes, and purchases made before August 20 will be refunded.
2XKO Is Ending Active Development Very Soon
Riot Games announced that active development for its free-to-play fighting game, 2XKO, will cease in December 2026 due to a lack of sustained player engagement. While content updates will end, the game's servers will remain online beyond 2026, and a final patch with new characters and improvements is planned for December. The company cited the difficulty of achieving sustainability in the competitive fighting game market as the primary reason for this decision.
Riot to End Active Development for 2XKO in December 2026, Online Play to Remain Unaffected
Riot Games has announced that active development for their League of Legends fighting game, 2XKO, will conclude in December 2026. Online play for the game will remain unaffected after this date.
Riot Games is shutting down 2XKO development this year after a weak launch: "We haven’t seen enough players…
Riot Games is ceasing development on its fighting game 2XKO this year due to a lack of sustained player engagement. The game will remain playable, but the final content update is scheduled for October. All purchases made before August 20 will be refunded, and a final cosmetic bundle will be released alongside the last champion, Samira, in October.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls looks to have sold almost half a million copies in a week
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls has reportedly sold nearly 500,000 copies across PlayStation 5 and PC within its first week. PlayStation 5 accounted for 74% of sales, with North America making up 75% of the player base. Despite initial performance issues on PC, the game's sales pace is comparable to Dragon Ball FighterZ, which went on to sell over 10 million copies.
Valorant pulls in BMTH and Spiritbox singers for VCT anthem, and it's exactly what we need
Riot Games has released the official anthem for the Valorant Champions Shanghai tournament, titled 'If The Sun Burns Out Tonight.' The track features Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon and Courtney LaPlante of Spiritbox, with production by Grabbitz. This marks a return to heavy metal influences for Valorant's anthems, aiming to recapture the balance of electronic and strong vocals that made previous tracks successful.
Indie Game Bundle Aiding Laid-Off Developers Is Nearing $200,000 Raised
A Game Industry Hardship Fund bundle on Itch.io, created by Necrosoft Games director Brandon Sheffield and the United Videogame Workers, has raised nearly $200,000 to assist laid-off developers with living expenses. The bundle features 127 games, including titles like Skatebird and A Short Hike, with all proceeds going to affected individuals in the US and Canada. This initiative comes in response to widespread layoffs within the industry, with funds being distributed by the union.
Evening Reading - July 9, 2026
This edition of Shacknews Evening Reading covers various gaming news and features, including reviews for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Digimon Story, discussions on 2XKO and Guilty Gear Strive, and mentions of Microsoft's potential new Quake game. It also touches on industry layoffs and includes personal anecdotes and internet content.
This Riftbound Vendetta Champion Card Introduces A Decade-Old Champion To The TCG
Riftbound: Vendetta, the fourth set for the League of Legends trading card game, will introduce Illaoi, Prophet Of The Great Kraken, a champion card based on a character present in League of Legends lore since 2015. The new card focuses on token generation and synergizes with the set's new 'Empower' mechanic. Riftbound: Vendetta is scheduled for release on July 31.
2XKO Creative Director says creature characters like Warwick 'open doors' for future picks
2XKO Creative Director Mike Henry discussed the challenges and implications of including creature characters in the fighting game. He explained that while characters like Warwick required significant development time due to unique rigs, their successful implementation opens the door for future non-humanoid characters, potentially making similar champions easier to develop.
2XKO Creative Director on roster growth, fighter development & appearing at EVO 2026
2XKO Creative Director Mike Henry discussed the game's appearance at EVO 2026, the addition of Thresh and Senna to the roster, and the development process for new fighters. Henry highlighted the importance of community support and explained how character design decisions are influenced by internal capabilities and fan demand. Future character additions will depend on the team's ability to create new character rigs.
"We can break even and be self-sustaining within Riot" – The firm behind League of Legends is "super close" to making esports sustainable
Riot Games' head of publishing and esports, John Needham, states that the company's esports business is very close to achieving profitability and self-sustainability. He attributes this progress to a shift in business model from sponsorships to digital items and increased revenue sharing with esports teams, alongside efforts to grow viewership and player engagement through various transmedia initiatives.
Evening Reading - July 30, 2026
This article rounds up various gaming news items from July 30, 2026. Highlights include a live-action Persona adaptation for Netflix, a fall 2026 release window for Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2, and SECI Interactive warning of staffing decisions after Microsoft pulled out of publishing Project Fantasy. It also touches on esports events like EVO 2026 for 2XKO and mentions updates for games like Battlefield 6 and Turok: Origin.
There's a surprising amount of major games you can't play on Valve's Steam Machine - here are eight of the biggest, and why
Valve's Steam Machine, despite its potential, faces significant limitations due to its SteamOS (a Linux variant) not supporting many popular games. This is primarily caused by anti-cheat software, which is incompatible with Linux, rendering titles like Destiny 2, Fortnite, Battlefield 6, Apex Legends, GTA Online, EA Sports FC 24, and modern Call of Duty games unplayable. While installing Windows is an option, it defeats the purpose of the console-like device.
EVO 2026: Schedule, brackets, prize pool, games & where to watch
EVO 2026, the premier fighting game tournament, will take place from June 26-28, 2026, featuring a lineup of 12 games including Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and Guilty Gear Strive. The event will be broadcast on EVO's Twitch and YouTube channels, with detailed schedules for finals and prize pools for each game announced.
EVO 2026's Arena Finals games & Sunday Top 8s have been decided
EVO 2026 has announced the schedule for its main Arena finals, featuring Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, Guilty Gear Strive, and Rivals of Aether 2 on Saturday, and 2XKO, Tekken 8, and Street Fighter 6 on Sunday. The schedule is determined by game participant numbers, with other titles competing on the Showcase Stage.
Riot devs are LARPing as Thresh on X, and that's because he's surprise dropping into 2XKO
Riot Games is marketing the upcoming release of Senna and Thresh in their fighting game 2XKO with an innovative campaign. Developers changed their social media profiles to impersonate Thresh, accompanied by cryptic messages and a ten-hour "trapped in Thresh's lantern" stream. Senna is set to launch on June 9, with Thresh arriving alongside her, featuring a large model and unique mechanics.
2XKO adds Thresh on June 9
The free-to-play tag fighting game 2XKO, based on League of Legends, will add the character Thresh on June 9. Thresh will be a playable character in the game.
2XKO adds new fighter Thresh this month
Riot Games announced that Thresh, the chain warden, will be added as a new fighter to their League of Legends-themed fighting game, 2XKO, on June 9th. He will join the recently announced fighter Senna. The free-to-play game is available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
