League of Legends free-to-play fighter officially named 2XKO

Riot Games has revealed the official title for its free-to-play, 2D fighter League of Legends spin-off: 2XKO.

If you’re in any doubt, it’s pronounced how it’s spelled, Riot said over on X. Previously it had been referred to as Project L.

I’m going to assume the name is supposed to mean “two KOs”, given 2XKO is a 2v2 tag-based fighting game. That also means my brain will call the game 2KO rather than 2XKO. I’m starting to fear this might be a “née Project L” situation…

So far, five champions have been announced for 2XKO’S roster: Darius, Ekko, Ahri, Yasuo, and Illaoi. In an update, producer Tom Cannon said Riot still has “a lot of game left to build” but development is “far enough along” to start sharing more on the game. (Cannon also said it’s up to personal discretion on how to pronounce 2XKO, so go wild and call it whatever you want. What’s in a name, anyway?)

Riot will be taking 2XKO on a playable demo tour of sorts, beginning with Evo Japan in April, before heading to other FGC events throughout the year. There might be some at-home playtesting later this year, Cannon revealed, with sign-ups already available on the official 2XKO website.

First unveiled in August 2022, 2XKO is planned for release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in 2025.