Riot Games has once again surprised the industry with a sudden restructuring, laying off approximately 80 developers from the team behind its recently launched fighting game, 2XKO. This decision, announced on Tuesday, February 10, impacts roughly half of the game's global development staff and comes barely three weeks after the free-to-play title officially debuted on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
In a blog post, 2XKO Executive Producer Tom Cannon stated that the game's "overall momentum hasn't reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term" following its expansion to console platforms. While we understand the need for fiscal responsibility, the timing here feels particularly harsh, leaving us to wonder if Riot genuinely misjudged the game's potential or if expectations were simply out of sync with the fighting game market realities. Cutting a team in half just weeks after a console launch is a move that raises serious questions about internal strategy and communication.
A Decade in the Arena: Was 2XKO Set Up for Success?
Initially known by its codename "Project L," 2XKO is a 2v2 tag-team fighter deeply rooted in the popular League of Legends universe. Its development journey stretches back an impressive, or perhaps concerning, decade, following Riot Games' 2016 acquisition of Radiant Entertainment, a studio founded by Evo co-founders Tom and Tony Cannon. Riot Games first publicly unveiled its plans for a League of Legends-themed fighting game in 2019.
The game, featuring striking cel-shaded animations and a roster of fighters drawn from League of Legends' Runeterra universe, is built for co-op play. 2XKO first entered early access on PC in October 2025 before its full console launch on January 20, 2026. Following its console release, the game did manage to become the third most-downloaded free-to-play title across PS4 and PS5 in January. On the surface, this might sound like a victory. However, initial download numbers don't always translate to sustained player engagement. Community discussions, for example, have pointed out low trophy completion rates, suggesting many players downloaded the game but quickly moved on. In our view, simply getting players to install a free game is a far cry from achieving the "momentum" needed to justify a large development budget, especially for a title with such a long gestation period.
Momentum Challenges and Self-Inflicted Wounds
Despite its initial download performance, Executive Producer Tom Cannon's statement about the game's sustained momentum not meeting expectations is a critical point. Public feedback for 2XKO has indeed included significant criticisms that, frankly, we believe Riot should have addressed earlier. Players have cited "arcane mechanics" — which some interpret as having "too many buttons" for newcomers — and a "limited roster of characters" as barriers. Launching a tag-team fighter after a decade of development with a mere 12 characters is a decision that undoubtedly limits replayability and appeal in a genre defined by diverse matchups and deep character pools.
Beyond gameplay, some of the most vocal criticisms we've observed online point to a "lack of marketing" and what many describe as an "awful name." It’s hard to argue with this; "2XKO" provides little connection to the established League of Legends IP, potentially alienating casual fans who might otherwise have tried a new game from Riot. These aren't minor issues; they represent fundamental strategic missteps that lie squarely with the publisher, not the developers who poured years into the project.
Impacted Employees and a "Sustainable Path Forward"
Riot Games has publicly stated its commitment to supporting the affected employees, offering to help them explore other opportunities within the company. For those not placed elsewhere, the company pledges a minimum of six months of notice pay and severance. This sounds commendable on paper, but we've seen this play out before. Reports have quickly emerged from some former staff members on social media platforms like Bluesky, claiming they were informed of their layoffs with as little as 30 minutes' notice. One former developer, after 12 years at Riot and a decade on 2XKO, posted about receiving just 30 minutes' notice. This starkly contrasts with the company's stated policy and undermines any claims of a smooth "transition" for those affected. It's difficult to reconcile Riot's public promises with the harsh reality reported by its former employees.
Despite the downsizing, Riot Games plans to continue developing 2XKO with a smaller, more focused team. The goal, they say, is to make key improvements and establish a "sustainable path forward." While we hope this is true, reducing the team by half on a live-service fighting game, especially one targeting a competitive scene, makes achieving ambitious long-term goals significantly harder. The company also affirmed its commitment to upholding partnerships with FGC (Fighting Game Community) tournament organizers, confirming that the game's 2026 Competitive Series will proceed as planned. We remain cautiously optimistic that these commitments can be met with a significantly reduced workforce.
A Troubling Pattern: Broader Workforce Adjustments at Riot Games
These layoffs are not an isolated incident; they represent the latest in a series of unsettling workforce adjustments at Riot Games over the past couple of years, painting a picture of strategic misfires and internal instability. In March 2024, the company laid off a staggering 530 employees, approximately 11% of its total workforce, and shuttered its Riot Forge program entirely as part of a "refocusing" process. Riot Forge was responsible for partnering with indie developers to create single-player experiences within the League of Legends universe, a promising initiative that was unceremoniously abandoned. An additional 32 staff members were laid off in October 2024, some from the core League of Legends team itself.
Furthermore, Riot Games has faced significant challenges with other high-profile projects. In 2024, the development of its highly anticipated League of Legends MMO project was "reset" because it felt too similar to the main game. Perhaps the most telling example of Riot's tumultuous project management is the saga of Hytale. After acquiring the Minecraft competitor in 2020, Riot Games canceled the project in June 2025, following a decade of overall development. In a remarkable turn, Hytale was subsequently bought back by its original developers, led by co-founder Simon Collins-Laflamme, in November 2025, who immediately began rehiring staff to return to the game's "original vision." It then re-released into early access on January 13, 2026, to positive reception, with Riot even congratulating its former developers on the launch. This whole situation—acquiring, canceling, and then watching a project thrive once returned to its original creators—is a damning indictment of Riot's handling of external IP and internal development.
The repeated layoffs and project cancellations suggest a company struggling to manage its expansive ambitions. While Riot states these decisions are for a "sustainable future," we can't help but wonder if a more focused approach from the outset, coupled with realistic expectations and better internal support for its teams, could have averted some of these painful outcomes. The human cost of these "workforce adjustments" is significant, and the pattern itself risks eroding developer morale and player trust in the long run.
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