Killer Instinct World Cup announced for 2021, cash prizes and worldwide events

By Zachary Boddy
published

A world competition for all Killer Instinct players.

Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • Killer Instinct is Xbox's hero fighting game that released back in 2013 and received a few years of decent support afterward.
  • The game also had a decent following with events and competitions, but fell out of favor back in 2016.
  • The Killer Instinct World Cup has been announced for 2021, giving Killer Instinct fans several big reasons to return to the game.
  • This is part of an ongoing effort from fans to bring back the Killer Instinct franchise on Xbox and PC.

Killer Instinct is a bit of a strange story for Microsoft and Xbox, as it's really the only true fighting game that Xbox can boast of building itself. Killer Instinct released back in 2013 for Xbox One and enjoyed several years of updates, continued support, and events until about 2016. Ever since then, the Xbox and Killer Instinct communities have been clamoring for a revival of the fighting franchise, the only hero fighting game Xbox can boast that can compete with established franchises like Mortal Kombat and Smash Bros. For 2021, Killer Instinct is getting a major World Cup that will last the entire year.

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The Killer Instinct World Cup will several open events worldwide for all Killer Instinct players, including a larger Kombo Klash event that boasts a larger part. That's right, the Killer Instinct World Cup features cash prizes of $1,000 for all open events, with a $5,000 pot at the end of the year. This is part of an ongoing effort from Killer Instinct fans to bring back the franchise, with Killer Instinct returning to tournaments with Evo Online early last year, and #BringBackKI trending on Twitter in 2019.

Killer Instinct may not have received much support from Microsoft over the last few years, but it continues to be one of our top picks in the Best Fighting Games for Xbox One, and is now a part of Microsoft's fantastic Xbox Game Pass lineup. If you haven't given Killer Instinct a try yet, that's the best way to do it. Hopefully Killer Instinct finds a home in Microsoft's growing first-party game lineup, which is starting to go from strength to strength in recent months.

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Zachary Boddy
Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.