When 2XKO's team was reshuffled in February, the remaining crew faced a blunt mandate: stabilize engagement before July or watch the game's future slip away. Rather than coast, the team set an audacious stretch goal—squeeze one more champion into an already packed 2026 schedule. That champion was Sett, and his journey from a mid-2027 concept to next week's release is one of the most improbable production stories in Riot's fighting game history.

A Pod Is Born

With five champions already in progress, Thresh accelerated to launch alongside Senna in June, and Samira and Lux pulled forward from late 2026 and early 2027, the idea of a sixth champion seemed reckless. But the team's passion for Sett was overwhelming. The Sett pod formed in mid-February 2026 with a hard rule: if the champion didn't meet 2XKO's quality bar by July, he wouldn't ship at all.

Designer UpToSnuff initially pushed for a Thunderdome-style sprint, referencing Riot's annual hackathon. Other disciplines gave the pod a two-week buffer to simply cook. Every standard step—leadership reviews, kit lock milestones, scheduling—was bent to fit the timeline. Instead of locking the entire kit at once, the team locked individual moves as they went. "There was literally no other way for us to work," UpToSnuff said.

Evo, Tears, and a Trailer

In June, the team announced and released The Climb, a similarly group-driven effort. Senna and Thresh stunned the 2XKO community, and competitive players converged on Evo in Las Vegas. Many on the Sett pod put their pencils down to celebrate with fans.

"We were with the people we made this game for," said Koos. "I've never seen more positivity around the game." Balance lead Yohosie remembers walking into Evo the most stressed she's ever been. "Then the trailer happened, and the tears started flowing from the crowd and the team." The trailer revealed Lux and Samira, and UpToSnuff admits he cried the whole time. Refreshed and refocused, the pod returned to work.

Balancing a Boss

With near-final gameplay in hand, Yohosie's team entered the ring. She stresses that balance isn't just numbers. "People think of balance as ensuring things are within the same power scale, but it's also making sure things work properly." That means consistent combos, clean interactions, and keeping strong moves strong without breaking them.

Sett's empowered Haymaker is a case in point: a 25-frame startup full-screen attack that wall slumps. "We've done a lot of work to balance that move that involved every single discipline," Yohosie said. She also emphasizes that Sett isn't a technical character. He has technical links and combos for those who pursue them, but ultimately he's approachable—a champion for players who want to beat the living daylights out of each other.

The Final Bell

In July, the team got answers: active development would end in December, but Sett would be part of the final update. Game director Unconkable limited his involvement to a single mid-point check-in and a final "go/no go" approval, a sign of deep trust in the pod. Through 2026, the patch-by-patch story repeated itself—improving sentiment, deeper gameplay, spikes around champion drops, then a return to a baseline everyone hoped would rise.

Sett arrives next week alongside Samira, completing the full roster. Yohosie calls his development "a bit of a miracle." UpToSnuff credits the people: "It takes a village to make a champion. This is a case where we worked extremely hard and stayed super focused. It's a great example of what this team can do."

  • Sett was originally planned for mid-2027 but was accelerated into 2026 as a stretch goal.
  • The pod locked individual moves instead of the full kit to save time.
  • His empowered Haymaker required cross-discipline balancing to keep it strong but fair.
  • Sett and Samira arrive in the final update, completing the roster.
Source: Riot Games — 2XKO's Final Round: Sett, from the Top Rope (https://2xko.riotgames.com/en-us/news/announcements/2xkos-final-round-sett-from-the-top-rope)