Look Sports Media – Riot Games is leveling up the fighting game scene, revealing ambitious esports plans for their upcoming title, 2XKO, slated to launch on consoles in 2026. Building on the momentum of over 1,500 community tournaments this year, including 22 Riot-sponsored First-Impact events, the developers are taking a unique approach to foster a sustainable and thriving competitive ecosystem.
Unlike Riot’s established franchised models for League of Legends and Valorant, 2XKO will embrace the existing fighting game community (FGC). Riot plans to actively support established tournaments through funding, prize pool boosts, and promotional efforts across their official channels. This commitment includes partnering directly with FGC organizers to create a 20-event Riot-sanctioned "2026 Competitive Series," comprised of five major tournaments and 15 challenger events held globally.
Adding to the excitement, 2XKO will introduce five new champions throughout 2026, one for each season, aligning with the schedule of the Competitive Series. Challenger events will serve as open regional competitions, while Majors will be large-scale, high-stakes gatherings.
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The action kicks off with the first Major at Frosty Faustings in Illinois, USA, from January 29th to February 1st. This event will feature the return of the Duo Bounty bonus prize, this time awarded to the highest-placing duo in the tournament. Following Frosty Faustings, the first three Challenger events will be Genesis X3 in California, USA (February 13th-15th), Texas Showdown in Texas, USA (March 27th-29th) and Viennality in Vienna, Austria (March 28th-29th).
To further support the competitive scene, Riot is introducing a new line of in-game cosmetics: the Frame Perfect skins. A portion of the proceeds from these skins will directly contribute to funding tournament organizers, prize pools, and production costs for future 2XKO events. The Frame Perfect skins will be available for purchase in the 2XKO store during Season 1 and around the time of each Major. This innovative approach ensures that players can directly support the growth and sustainability of the 2XKO esports scene.
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