FGC outraged at 2XKO releasing Caitlyn early for some content creators

Caitlyn’s release date has been revealed, but the FGC is frustrated that some players were already given access to the new fighter.

It’s no surprise that Caitlyn is being added to 2XKO, with all the marketing and leaks and reveals and whatever we’ve been getting about her over the past few months. Her latest gameplay trailer, however, was overshadowed by the fact that some content creators were given the opportunity to play Caitlyn for a few hours ahead of her release and were provided with unreleased patch notes.

FGC accuses 2XKO of having no competitive integrity after Caitlyn launch

This is an ongoing trend for Riot Games, which has been heavily marketing 2XKO with Chipotle sponsorships and content creator collaborations. One EVO finalist recalled 2XKO’s booth at EVO having a line to play while pro fighter William “Leffen” Hjelte “had a setup all to himself on their little stage.”

Added Kite: “And now people gettin’ to play Caitlyn early. Absolutely wicked.”

Iconic fighting game legend Victor “Punk” Woodley weighed in on the matter as the discourse continued. While he plays Street Fighter 6 at the moment, he agreed that top players have “too much privilege” in 2XKO.

“Pros should never test games and definitely should never play new characters and a patch before they are released,” he commented. “That is just insane to me.”

This ongoing favoritism towards certain content creators has left a bad taste in players’ mouths, with many accusing Riot of being very blatant about it compared to other fighting games. With the heavy amount of marketing Riot has dumped into 2XKO in an attempt to make the fighting game more mainstream, some even feel the game is being pushed by creators despite nobody they know actually playing it.

Of course, 2XKO isn’t the only game in the scene doing this. It’s just more obvious.

“This is just gaming these days,” someone noted on X. “It’s no longer about sharing experiences and more about firsts and clicks and views and ad rev.”

Either way, the fighting game community is concerned about the continued special treatment for certain players in 2XKO. While it may not seem like a big deal to get a few hours of playtime, some gamers pointed out that Caitlyn will be available in upcoming tournaments, like Frosty Faustings, giving these content creators a slight advantage.

This is concerning for the game’s competitive integrity. It’s not as bad as weeks of labbing, but it’s still unfair for other competitors.

Caitlyn will be available to the masses (aka peasants) on January 20th. While some competitors are excited for her arrival, like fighting game veteran SonicFox, others feel her moveset looks a bit repetitive.