Riot Games Cuts Half of 2XKO Team Weeks After Launch

Image: 2XKO

Riot Games has reduced the development team for its League of Legends-inspired fighting game 2XKO by approximately 80 staff members.

The news was shared through a blog post on February 9 by executive producer Tom Cannon, who explained that player engagement trends following the console expansion weren't strong enough to justify maintaining the current team size.

The layoffs affect roughly half of the development team, according to a Riot Games spokesperson who confirmed the numbers to Game Developer.

This decision comes less than a month after 2XKO officially launched on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on January 20, 2026. The game had previously entered Early Access on PC back in October 2025, but the momentum apparently stalled after expanding to consoles.

"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. With a smaller, focused team, we’re going to dig in and make key improvements to the game, including some of the things we’ve already heard you asking for. We’ll share some of our plans soon," Cannon wrote.

Meanwhile, former employees shared on social media that they were laid off, with some saying they received only 30 minutes’ notice. One ex-dev wrote, "2XKO was everything I wanted – my dream studio, my dream project, animating fighting game characters with some of the best in the industry. I poured my heart into every animation, every frame. Seeing those characters come alive was magic."

Riot is offering support packages to those affected, including at least 6 months of notice pay and severance for staff who cannot find positions elsewhere within the company. The impacted employees will have opportunities to apply for other roles at Riot before the severance kicks in, though finding suitable positions for 80 people internally seems like a tall order.

The competitive scene for 2XKO will continue as planned, according to Cannon. "Our plans for the 2026 Competitive Series are unchanged. We remain committed to partnering with tournament organizers and local communities. Our focus will continue to be on supporting the events and organizers that already power the FGC." The game's next competitive event is scheduled at Genesis from February 13 to 15.

Community reactions have been mixed. Some players criticized Riot for monetization choices, limited roster, while others lamented the game’s slow rollout, which they believe hurt its momentum.

Well-known figures in the fighting game scene also weighed in. Evo champion Justin Wong commented, “This sucks, and hopefully 2XKO comes back super strong to make Riot possibly grow the team again.” Fellow competitor Leffen added, “2XKO has a lot of problems, but it has so much fking potential, and I know the people who worked on it were really fking dedicated.”