2XKO is out in early access, bringing with it seasonal content, two new characters in Teemo and Warwick, and a suite of cosmetics for players to unlock and buy. As a free-to-play game this isn’t unusual, however the game’s most expensive bundle has some players wincing.
The reason why comes down to the cost. 2XKO’s Arcane-themed Ultra Starter Edition is available to buy for $99.99 / €99.99 / £84.99 / CA $139.99. Now, that’s a lot of money, but for that amount you get three “Mythic” tier skins with a bunch of alternate colours, an exclusive finisher, eight champion unlock tokens, a player card, avatar cosmetic bundles, and 5,000 KO points (in-game currency).
It’s worth noting that this is the price of the most expensive version of the bundle. The standard version of the starter bundle costs $29.99 and comes with four champion unlock tokens, a player card, and enough in-game currency to buy one legendary skin from the shop. However, if you want those Arcane skins, you’ll have to fork out the full price. There is no other way to get them, you’ll have to pay for the Ultra version.
The reaction online from fighting game players seeing this has been passionate to say the least. Some have expressed shock at the bundle’s price, others are expressing disappointment that they aren’t able to buy the Arcane skins separately from the bundle itself, while some are totally fine with spending that much money on these fancy cosmetics.
It’s an interesting twist on an ongoing point of discussion within the fighting game genre. Dedicated players for Street Fighter 6 have been begging for more consistent character skin releases to support the game, rather than the onslaught of Battle Hub cosmetics that game has received since launch.
For many fighting game players 2XKO is their introduction to modern free-to-play microtransaction models, and as eye-watering as $99.99 is to see pop up on your screen, it’s not an alien concept to Riot Games. The company has been supporting Valorant with expensive gun skins ever since that shooter’s launch, and League of Legends has been experimenting with gacha and super-expensive Ahri and Jhin skins.
The question is, is this bundle worth it? Well, an obvious point to make first is that some people will simply not be able to afford $100 for an in-game bundle regardless of its value proposition. For those who can, a lot of the value comes down to how much you like the exclusive Arcane skins. I, for example, don’t care for Vi, Jinx, or Ekko, so it’s not much of a prize.
The in-game currency you get as part of the Ultra version of the bundle comes to about 2.5 legendary skins in the shop, or you can grab the Ultra version of the current battle pass and be left with 1,500 KO points left. These skins are cool, and the battle pass is full of all manner of quirky customisation options, but again you’re contesting with the $100 shock factor here. Also, funnily enough, your remainging 1,500 points if you choose to buy the battle pass isn’t quite enough for a legendary skin, so you’ll have to buy more premium currency to use up what you’ve got left in your 2XKO wallet, at the expense of your real-world wallet.
Ultimately there’s not too much you can do to tear away the shock of a $100 price point on any in-game bundle, but those in favour of this price point will of course argue it’s not meant to be bought by everyone. It’s meant to be an illustrious expense for super fans (or whales). This is true of course, but with three more bundles set to release before 2026, one has to wonder how much money people will have to spend to get everything Riot is selling here.
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