2XKO Launches Early Access, Sponsors 22 Community Tournaments with Pot Bonuses

Riot Games has announced a significant commitment to the fighting game community (FGC) with the launch of its new 2v2 tag-team fighting game, 2XKO, into Early Access on October 7, 2025. Alongside this release, the developer unveiled the "First Impact" program, which will see Riot Games sponsoring 22 community-led tournaments across the Americas, Europe, and Asia through the end of 2025. This initiative aims to bolster the grassroots competitive scene for the highly anticipated title.

The "First Impact" program will provide pot bonuses for each sponsored event, with an additional $2,500 "Duo Bounty" awarded to the first-place duo in every tournament. Winners will also receive an exclusive "Local Legend" player title for their 2XKO accounts. The official 2XKO social media account highlighted this, stating, > "calling all 2xko pros. we’re adding a pot bonus to 22 community tournaments through the rest of 2025."

2XKO, a free-to-play fighting game featuring characters from the League of Legends universe, will enter Early Access for PC players on October 7, 2025, following a successful closed beta period. While the Early Access is PC-exclusive, a full release is planned for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S later in 2025. This Early Access period, designated as "Season 0," will introduce a full season of content, including combo trials and the game's tenth champion.

Riot Games' strategy with "First Impact" is to support Tournament Organizers (TOs) and create meaningful competitive opportunities for local players. The first Riot-supported event, Evo France: 2 NICE KO, is scheduled for October 10-12 in Nice, France. The company plans to use feedback from these initial tournaments to shape its competitive plans for 2026, which will include five seasons, each introducing a new champion, ranked reset, and battle pass.