Chipotle is taking over 2XKO.
Starting today, June 16, players in Riot Games’ 2v2 fighting game will be able to play inside a Chipotle-branded custom casual lobby. The limited-time 2XKO Real Ones Event Presented by Chipotle represents the first time Riot Games has integrated a brand into an in-game lobby accessible to all players in the U.S. — a strong endorsement of Chipotle from a company whose in-game brand activations and integrations have historically been few and far between.
“When we were thinking about bringing more accessible partnerships to players, we were looking for people who also have chat footprint and credibility in that space, and Chipotle is one that somehow has also managed to build that love within the FGC,” said Riot Games director of product management and 2XKO publishing lead Mia Putrino in an interview with GamesBeat.
Chipotle’s branded lobby will be available inside 2XKO during two phases between June 16-28 and July 21-August 6. By participating in the event, players can unlock exclusive in-game rewards like player titles, emotes, and avatar items, with players in the U.S. able to earn codes redeemable for food at real-life Chipotle restaurants. Starting on June 16, Chipotle customers who place an order through the Chipotle app or website using the code TAGTEAM will also unlock the in-game Chipotle Fresh Fit Bundle, a pack of Chipotle-inspired avatar gear including a Chipotle-branded virtual backpack and bucket hat.
“Riot’s never really done this level of integration in any of their games, and I think they see the value that we can bring and the credibility we’ve earned within the FGC,” said Chipotle director of brand marketing Scott Robinson in an interview with GamesBeat.
Chipotle’s 2XKO integration is the latest expression of the brand’s years-long, ongoing push to become an integral part of the fighting game community. In recent years, Chipotle has shown up at major fighting game tournaments like the Evolution Championship Series (Evo), where the in-person audience cheered every time a Chipotle ad showed up on screen. Chipotle’s partnership with 2XKO began in 2025 with the release of the Chipotle Challenger Bundle in-game item pack, but Robinson said that a full lobby integration was always part of the plan for the partnership.
“This was always on the roadmap to get here — just figuring out the timing a little bit,” Robinson said. “As you know, publishers need to move timing here and there, and we really wanted to do it during Evo or have it overlap with Evo a little bit.”
Chipotle has expanded its partnership with Evo this year, with the brand planning to host new activations at the June 26-28 event, including a Chipotle-branded community lounge and a scavenger hunt offering winners rewards like a trip to Evo France and a Chipotle plushie made by Youtooz. Chipotle is also bringing back popular activations from Evo 2025, including the “burrito bus,” which takes tournament attendees offsite to eat at Chipotle locations for free. Last year, the official Evo Twitch channel featured a Chipotle burrito emote that become the channel’s most-used emote, with users posting it over 73,000 times, according to Stuart Saw, the chief executive of Evo owner RTS.
“Chipotle made the first move, and the community met them where they were four years ago, and it’s just a beautiful, loving relationship built around burritos,” Saw said in an interview with GamesBeat. “The whole community embraces it.”
In addition to Chipotle’s partnership with Evo, the brand has shown up inside prominent fighting games like Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 over the past two years. The brand’s decision to further expand its investment in marketing via fighting games indicates that this push has paid off for Chipotle — as does anecdotal evidence from fighting game players who have shared their love for the brand across social platforms.
“Chipotle isn’t just showing up in 2XKO, it’s engaging the player base with meaningful challenges and rewarding them with both sought-after content and real Chipotle food rewards,” said Chris Mann, a senior vice president at the agency REVXP, which manages Chipotle’s gaming strategy, in an interview with GamesBeat. “We know the FGC loves Chipotle and the brand has a history of rewarding them at events like Evo and Combo Breaker; now, we are deeply embedded in 2XKO.”