Riot is ending development on its League of Legends fighting game

Riot Games says active development on 2XKO will end in late 2026 after the free-to-play League of Legends fighting game failed to retain enough players for a sustainable future. Servers will remain online beyond 2026, all playable characters are being unlocked, and Riot will refund money spent on the game.

The decision underscores how hard it is to sustain live-service games, even with a major IP and free-to-play model. Riot’s pullback suggests publishers are becoming more willing to cut losses when engagement metrics do not quickly support long-term live-service investment.