It’s exciting news for the grassroots gaming community as 2XKO has announced an offline mode where all playable champions will be unlocked. This move aims to support small tournament organizers who have been eager to host events but were not keen on the tedious task of unlocking every champion across different accounts.
During a 2XKO community tour in France earlier this month, the reveal came to light in a group Q&A session. Tom Cannon, the game’s executive producer, hesitantly pondered before finally deciding to share the news. “I know setting up multiple systems for a tournament can be frustrating,” he mentioned. “We don’t want to make things difficult. We want you to run a tournament smoothly without needing the internet or jumping through hoops to unlock champions.”
He continued with a touch of humor, “So here’s what we’re doing. You’ll be able to play the game offline—hope that’s not spoiling anything (laughs). As a tournament organizer, you’ll have access to all the champs without needing to grind for them. Granted, we can’t include skins and such, but you’ll at least be set for offline competitive play. That’s our main selling point.”
Cannon emphasized their commitment to grassroots tournaments and expressed interest in feedback to enhance the experience further. For those deeply embedded in competitive fighting games, this development is a game-changer. Having to ensure a reliable internet connection and possibly incurring hefty fees would be one less concern. Plus, the tedious process of unlocking characters manually on various accounts would be eliminated, saving time and effort.
However, an existing question mark hangs over the interaction of this offline mode with Riot Games’ Vanguard Anti-Cheat, known for its always-online requirement. Vanguard, with its kernel-level access and the need to run from computer boot-up for games like League of Legends and Valorant, may create potential conflicts if the offline mode is accessed via the Riot Games launcher, as seen with the 2XKO Alpha Lab tests.
We’ve reached out to Riot Games for further clarification but are still awaiting a response. Despite this, the announcement could significantly boost the dedicated community ready to test their skills in live events. Realistically, I don’t foresee this mode being broadly available to casual players. After all, 2XKO, being a free-to-play title, needs to sustain itself financially. This offline mode will likely be a unique feature aimed at verified tournament organizers.
As we await more details and updates on this offline feature, I’m curious to hear what you think. Share your thoughts with us below!
