Riot Games, a leading player in the gaming industry, recently announced a workforce downsizing within the development team of its free-to-play fighting game, 2XKO. Approximately 80 team members were laid off, a decision made following the game’s less than stellar reception since its launch on January 20, 2026.
Known for its successful and popular MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), League of Legends, Riot initiated the 2XKO project as an attempt to branch into new genres. 2XKO shares its universe and characters with League of Legends and had been a significant focus at Riot Games for 10 years, involving several phases of development and reboots.
The development downsizing was announced by Executive Producer, Tom Cannon, who reported the game had failed to attract sufficient player interest. Despite maintaining a dedicated core group of players, the game’s momentum was deemed inadequate to justify sustaining the full-size team.
In light of these changes, a smaller, specialized team will remain devoted to further enhancements to 2XKO and support for the 2026 Competitive Series and tournament organizers. Cannon expressed sincere admiration for the laid-off team, crediting their hard work and passion in realizing the ambitious project despite the game’s struggles.
The difficulty of venturing into the fighting game genre was underlined by these layoffs. While it boasts a solid fanbase, the fighting game genre’s following remains niche, with major titles such as Tekken, Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter tending to monopolize sales. The situation is further complicated by the defensive, exclusionary nature of the subculture.
Cannon and his brother co-founded Evo, an influential esports tournament for fighting games, demonstrating their expertise in the field. Yet, despite Riot’s substantial resources and the 2XKO team’s prowess, breaking into the fighter games market proved challenging. Post-launch, the game faced criticism for its complex mechanics and limited character selection, contributing to its struggles.
Riot Games has long been attempting to transcend its MOBA identity, and success has been mixed. While games like Teamfight Tactics and Valorant saw degrees of success, many other projects faced cancellation or prolonged development stages. Most notably, in 2020, Riot Games announced a League of Legends-themed MMO, which was reset again in 2024. In the same year, Riot acquired Minecraft competitor Hytale, only to cancel it five years after a decade of development.
Despite its challenges and subsequent layoff, 2XKO remains active under a downsized team. Riot Games’ diversified repertoire is still in the making as the studio continues to explore its development potential.
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