4/
I'm extremely proud of the game we made and of the entire team - both the folks who were impacted and the folks who will continue on. The 2XKO lobby systems and game services were built by a team of talented black mages that I will forever cherish working alongside.
3/
Somewhere in the middle, I made a career change from video production to game production, fulfilling a lifelong dream of producing games. This ride ends on a high note, launching a AAA fighting game, first on PC and more recently on consoles.
2/
When I zoom all the way out and look at my journey at Riot, it's clear to me how much I've grown. I started in 2016 as a Video Producer, making meme-y videos for social media at the time of Ivern's champion release on League of Legends.
2xko is launching globally on pc, xbox series x|s, and playstation 5, starting with season 1, on january 20-21
• play with ur friends
• cross-platform
• cross-progression
• keep all ur stuff from early access
almost every named person in the lobby scenes here is controlling their own avatar. 40 of the dev team as "actors" piled into a google meet on a friday evening a couple weeks ago LOL. it was very chaotic
i'm the one dressed as gordon freeman btw
COMING SOON TO CONSOLE: 2XKO, the 2v2 fighting game from @riotgames featuring champions from League of Legends, launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in January 2026.
my opps know i'm real when they see me pull up in the @chipotletweets fit
starting today and while supplies last, u can get the chipotle challenger bundle with online orders on the chipotle app + https://t.co/VEa9oP5Aev.
use the code "LETSDUO" at checkout. bundle includes an avatar hoodie, sweatpants, sneakers, hat, sling backpack, and BUR-RITO PLS sticker learn more at https://t.co/QupeTTbsTV
Hey guys, Tom here. Just one day from now, 2XKO will enter Early Access! While the game is still very WIP, this is an exciting new phase of development, so it’s a good time to talk about what Early Access means, and how it fits into our overall plan for launching the game.
Our vision for 2XKO is a game and team built to serve the FGC, both today and (hopefully!) for generations to come. Here’s what we think it takes to do that:
• An amazing game that’s fun at all skill levels and rewards your devotion to mastery
• High quality content (like champs, skins, QoL updates, etc) delivered as a live service
• A competitive ecosystem that supports and brings out the best in the FGC
• Delivered on the platforms where fighting game players play today: consoles and PC
So far, we’ve been focused on that first point: building an amazing game. After the Alpha Labs and Closed Beta, we’re feeling pretty good about our foundation. We’re now ready to build up what it's going to take to achieve our full vision.
Enter, Early Access
Specifically, in Early Access we’ll be looking at:
• Seasons. Early Access kicks off with our first draft of seasonal content: Season 0. Every season will have a new champion, Battle Pass, and more. Season 0 will last through the end of 2025. From then on, we’re aiming for five seasons of 10-ish weeks a year, each bringing a new champion.
• Ranked. We learned a lot during Closed Beta, and will be making improvements to placements, match fairness, and the tempo of the climb. Also, the team is cooking on ways to support labbing in Training Mode between Ranked matches instead of going back into the lobby.
• Content. The in-game store is going live for the first time. We’ll be paying close attention to how content lands for you—what you love, and what you don’t—and the pace of progression in systems like the Battle Pass and Champion Mastery.
• Competitive. We started supporting community tournaments toward the tail end of Closed Beta with our First Impact program, and we’re going to continue exploring the best ways to do that in Early Access. Here’s the list of events we’re sponsoring for the rest of 2025 if you’re interested. https://t.co/NxfVhQ5APK
• Console. We haven’t taken our foot off the gas in getting the game to console. Right now the team is focusing on the work that it takes to go from the console betas we shipped in Alpha Labs to a fully featured game. We’ll be sure to share major updates here.
Once we get all of the above into great shape, we’ll be ready to leave Early Access and for the official launch of a “fully armed and operational” 2XKO!
Just like with the Alpha Labs and Closed Beta, you can expect things to change as we figure out what’s working and what’s not. The key difference is that during Early Access we’ll be making changes live, so bear with us as we find our footing.
We really appreciate all for your support and excitement leading up to this moment, and for being patient with us as we get the game to where it needs to be. Keep playing, keep talking to us, and keep the hype going. We’ll see you in Early Access.
Til next time,
Tom
P.S. Support your locals.