00:02And I'm Michael Sherman, Esports Director for 2XKO.
00:05With the year coming to a close, we wanted to give y'all an update on some of our plans for competitive play in 2026.
00:11But before we get into it, there's something we want to mention first.
00:142XKO will be coming to console in January of 2026.
00:18That includes Xbox Series S and X, as well as PlayStation 5.
00:22We know how much folks have been waiting to hop in on console, and can't wait for y'all to get your hands on it soon.
00:27You can add 2XKO to your Xbox or PlayStation wishlist right now.
00:31Since Early Access kicked off in October, we've seen over 1,500 community tournaments pop up all over the world,
00:38including 22 First Impact sponsored events that thousands of players have participated in so far.
00:44We've been really enjoying seeing friendships and rivalries emerge through some unbelievable sets across the globe,
00:49such as Wawa winning in front of his home crowd at 2 Nice KO at Evo France,
00:54Sonic Fox vs. Leffen's Grand Finals Showdown at DreamHack Atlanta,
00:57Leffen and Super Noon being the first duo to win a first Impact event at risk,
01:01Diaphone and K7 Showoff claiming both tournaments as a duo in Midwest MixFest,
01:06and the twins, Haru and Toshi, winning tournaments and topping the challenger leaderboard in Japan.
01:10There's been a lot of curiosity and speculation around how Riot might support competitive play for 2XKO,
01:16especially compared to games like League and Valorant that have competitive leagues run by Riot.
01:21Since TOs have already been running successful fighting game events for years,
01:252XKO's plans for competitive play are a little different.
01:29This is why, instead of spinning up our own leagues, our approach is to offer direct support to existing events.
01:34That means direct monetary support, promotion on official Riot channels,
01:38prize pool buffs with the ultimate goal of creating sustainable long-term growth for the FGC.
01:43In 2026, we're partnering directly with community organizers on 20 Riot sanctioned events all over the world.
01:49We're calling this our 2026 competitive series, which includes 5 majors and 15 challenger events in total.
01:56There will be 1 major and 3 challenger events tied to each of 2XKO's 5 in-game seasons.
02:02You can think of challengers as regional open tournaments meant to give communities more opportunities to compete,
02:07and majors as the 5 biggest competitive moments for the year, each tied to a season.
02:12Our first major kicks off at the end of January, with Frosty Faustings followed by our first 3 challenger events,
02:18Genesis, Texas Showdown, and Vianality in February and March.
02:22For the major at Frosty Faustings, we're bringing back the duo bounty.
02:26But this time, instead of awarding the prize bonus if a duo wins the whole tournament,
02:30it'll go to the highest-placing duo no matter where they end their bracket run.
02:34Wait, so you're saying that if you and I enter as a duo, and nobody else does, and we go 0-2, we win the bounty?
02:41Sean, we can't compete.
02:42Wait, why not?
02:43Rioters!
02:44Oh, you hate to hear it.
02:46Another way we're excited to support the work of TOs is Frame Perfect, a competitive-themed skin set where a portion of the proceeds go towards supporting TOs across the world.
02:55This includes helping fund prize pools and covering tournament costs for future 2XKO events.
03:00It'll be available for all of Season 1, and we're planning to bring it back around for each major.
03:05We'll have more to share later, so stay tuned.
03:07All that said, these major and challenger events are just one piece of the puzzle, and we believe that FGC thrives when supported at all levels of play.
03:15We're already looking for ways to expand our support to more events, not just those that make up the 2026 competitive series.
03:22Locals will be a big priority for us, working closely with local TOs and helping them strengthen the communities that keep the FGC thriving.
03:30We also know that the kind of support players and TOs need most can vary a lot by region, so we'll be adapting our approach on a case-by-case basis to make sure we're getting it right.
03:39So many of us on the team have traveled and competed at FG tournaments for many years.
03:44We want to make it better for y'all.
03:46This is one step of many, and we need your help to let us know what's working and what we can improve.
03:50We're super stoked for Season 1, and we'll have more info about the rest of the year's competitive roadmap soon.
03:55Thanks for watchin', we'll see y'all at Frosties, and in the meantime, support your locals.
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