Riot Games has delivered tough news to the fighting game community just weeks after expanding 2XKO to consoles. In a letter shared online by executive producer Tom Cannon, the studio announced it is significantly reducing the size of the 2XKO team to ensure the project's sustainability.
The decision comes after Riot observed consistent engagement trends following the game's console release. While 2XKO has cultivated a dedicated player base and strong feedback from the FGC (fighting game community), overall momentum has not reached the level needed to maintain the original team size long term.
Cannon's letter emphasized that the move was not taken lightly:
"After a lot of discussion and reflection, we are reducing the size of the 2XKO team. I want you to know that decision wasn’t made lightly. As we expanded from PC to console, we saw consistent trends in how players were engaging with 2XKO. The game has resonated with a passionate core audience, but overall momentum hasn’t reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term."
He added that the smaller team will focus on key improvements, many of which have already been requested by players. Specific plans will be shared soon.
Importantly, the game itself is not being abandoned. Cannon confirmed that 2XKO will continue to receive support, albeit at a more focused level. The 2026 Competitive Series remains unchanged, with Riot committed to partnering with tournament organizers and local communities to sustain grassroots events that power the FGC.
Affected developers will either transition to other Riot projects or receive a minimum of six months' notice pay plus severance, reflecting the studio's standard approach to layoffs.
The announcement marks the latest challenge for a project that endured a long development cycle. 2XKO, a free-to-play 2v2 tag-team fighter set in the League of Legends universe, began life as Project L before rebranding. It launched in Early Access on PC in late 2025 and expanded to consoles in early 2026.
Last March, Riot revealed the game would ship with only 10 characters which is a smaller roster than many expected on release to prioritize getting the game into players' hands sooner rather than delaying for more content. Game director Shaun Rivera explained the trade-off in a Discord Q&A:
"We know it is a smaller number than you would expect, but when faced with a trade-off of including even more champions resulting in delaying the release date (versus) getting it into your hands sooner, we are excited about the latter."
By the Early Access launch in October 2025, Riot outlined a post-launch plan: one new character per season, with five seasons per year, delivering more annual roster additions than many competitors in the genre.
Despite these efforts, player numbers and engagement appear to have fallen short of Riot's internal targets. The reduction signals a strategic pivot to a leaner operation capable of delivering meaningful updates without the overhead of the original team.
2XKO's core loop which is fast-paced 2v2 tag battles, assist mechanics, and League-inspired champions has earned praise for accessibility and spectacle. Yet broader adoption has lagged, possibly due to competition in the fighting game space, the free-to-play model, or challenges in translating League's MOBA fanbase to a pure fighter.
The downsizing follows a pattern seen in other live-service titles that launch to strong initial interest but struggle to maintain long-term scale. Riot's transparency here, including forward-looking commitments to competitive play, aims to reassure the community that the game has a future, even if scaled back. Players can expect updates on upcoming improvements soon, likely focusing on balance, netcode, and quality-of-life features requested during Early Access and console beta periods. The 2026 Competitive Series will continue as planned, preserving Riot's investment in the FGC ecosystem.
For now, 2XKO remains available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S as a free-to-play title. The studio's focus shifts to a more sustainable path forward, betting that a passionate core can carry the game through targeted updates rather than broad expansion.
Riot's letter closes on a note of resolve: "This isn’t a judgment on individual Rioters or a signal that the journey is over. We’re reshaping the team to give 2XKO a more sustainable path forward." The fighting game community will watch closely to see how that path unfolds in the months ahead. Do you think the game will succeed or is this a bad sign of things to come for 2XKO?
2XKO, is a free-to-play 2v2 tag-team fighter made by Riot Games that is set in the League of Legends universe. Hop into the action for free on PC, Playstation and Xbox now!