Riot Games Announces 2XKO Japan Series for 2026

Riot Games has announced the launch of a new competitive initiative titled the 2XKO Japan Series, a dedicated tournament circuit aimed squarely at growing the game’s presence and esports ecosystem in Japan.

The circuit will consist of eight cup competitions, alongside two major events, a Summer Final and a Winter Final, effectively creating a year-long competitive pathway for Japanese players.

Each cup will begin as an online open tournament, with the top eight players advancing to an offline stage, reinforcing Riot’s intent to bridge online accessibility with offline prestige. Qualification for the finals follows a layered structure designed to reward both consistency and peak performance.

For the Summer Final, the winners of Cups 1–4 will earn automatic qualification. They will be joined by four additional players drawn from the top 12 on the leaderboard, as well as four more players who emerge from a Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ).

The Winter Final will mirror this format, with Cups 5–8 winners, leaderboard qualifiers, and LCQ entrants making up the final field.

Riot has also committed a notable prize structure. Each cup will feature a $10,000 prize pool for its top eight finishers, while both the Summer and Winter Finals will award $25,000 to their qualified players. While modest by global standards, the prize pools are significant within the context of a region-focused grassroots-to-pro circuit.

According to details published on the official 2XKO website, the series is clearly designed to stimulate domestic interest in the game, a necessary move given the historical difficulty non-Japanese fighting games have faced in the country. Titles like Mortal Kombat have struggled to gain traction in Japan, with earlier entries even facing bans, while others such as Killer Instinct, despite strong international followings, have remained niche at best.

In contrast, the overwhelming popularity of Street Fighter 6 in Japan has demonstrated just how powerful a locally embraced fighting game ecosystem can be, producing packed venues, major sponsorships, and cultural relevance well beyond the competitive scene. Riot will be hoping that 2XKO, with its League of Legends DNA and structured competitive support, can carve out a similar space.

All tournaments in the 2XKO Japan Series will be region-gated, with only players residing in Japan eligible to compete, ensuring the focus remains squarely on domestic talent development.

The circuit is scheduled to run from February through December 2026, giving Riot a full competitive year to test whether 2XKO can establish a meaningful foothold in one of the world’s most influential fighting game markets.