Riot Games’ foray into fighting games, 2XKO, has started to raise concerns within the fighting game community, who are starting to feel sceptical after delays and a lack of updates.
2XKO will have a booth at Evo in Las Vegas from August 1st – 3rd, allowing the FGC to have another hands-on experience with the 2v2 platform fighter at the largest fighting game event of the year. Ahead of the event, developers have also announced a closed beta, which will start on September 9th. However, not all fighting game fans are excited this time around.
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Riot’s Lack of Updates For 2XKO Frustrates FGC
Earlier on June 22nd, Riot shared details about 2XKO’s closed beta, which will be the start of ‘rolling the game out for everyone,’ according to developers. No further information was given regarding the closed beta’s content, but some possible surprises are waiting at Evo ahead of the closed beta.
A demo of 2XKO has been available at past Evo events and this year will be no different. Riot is promising to reveal more details regarding the game’s content and may even include a new character to test out at the event.
However, the FGC is getting concerned regarding a lack of information for a game that’s allegedly getting released in late 2025.
One Evo attendee stated: “Probably the worst fighting game rollout in history.”
2XKO was revealed for the first time in 2021 as Project L. Since then, the game has gone into alpha and developers have shared some behind-the-scenes insights and gameplay. However, Riot has been largely silent in 2025, not offering a lot of new details about the game, its roster, or its release.
The closed beta has given the FGC a bit more hope, but some gamers are frustrated at yet ‘another test’ rather than a firmer release schedule.
As the floodgates opened on social media, the FGC has made its scepticism over Riot’s fighting game known. One gamer wrote: “I still find it insane that the game has been in development for like six years now and they somehow only have seven characters finished.”
It should be noted that 2XKO does have a smaller development team than League of Legends and VALORANT. Still, the long waiting process has gone beyond what some of the FGC can handle.
“I’ve lived through DNF Duel, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 1 and 2, and Multiversus now, all of ’em flopped but nobody really thought they were gonna change the game,” another FGC player wrote. “2XKO has so many casuals hyping it up that the disappointment it’s going to cause is going to be to be catastrophic.”
While a lot of discourse has turned negative regarding 2XKO, others are still hopeful. Even though the release hasn’t been handled well, the FGC is hoping that Riot’s involvement will improve the fighting game esports ecosystem, which has often suffered from a lack of support compared to other titles.
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