Riot Games Cuts 2XKO Staff: What It Means for the League of Legends Fighting Game's Future

Riot Games has laid off approximately 80 staff from the 2XKO development team, cutting its workforce nearly in half just weeks after the fighting game's full console launch. The move, announced by Executive Producer Tom Cannon, forces a pivotal question for the League of Legends spin-off's future: Is this a prudent strategic refocusing for the long haul, or the first clear sign of deeper trouble for Riot's ambitious foray into the fighting game genre?

The Announcement and the Numbers Behind the Cuts

The official word came from Executive Producer Tom Cannon in a statement released on February 9, 2026. In a communication to the team and community, Cannon delivered the difficult news, directly linking the decision to the game's commercial performance. The scale is substantial: approximately 80 employees were laid off, which Riot confirmed represents close to half of the game's global development staff.

The stated reasoning was unambiguous. Cannon acknowledged that while 2XKO has cultivated a "passionate core audience," the broader player momentum and engagement metrics following the recent console launch "did not meet expectations to sustain the original team size long-term." In essence, the initial player base was not large or active enough to justify the pre-launch level of investment. Riot has stated that impacted employees will be offered support to find other roles within the company's ecosystem. Those who do not secure an internal position will receive a minimum of six months' notice pay and severance, a package that aligns with the company's handling of previous layoffs.

2XKO's Journey: From Project L to Launch

To understand the weight of this decision, one must look at 2XKO's path to release. First unveiled in 2019 under the codename Project L, the game was a passion project developed by Radiant Entertainment, a studio founded by fighting game veterans Tom and Tony Cannon, which Riot had acquired in 2016. Its core concept promised a fresh take: a free-to-play 2v2 tag-team fighter set in the expansive League of Legends universe, designed to be accessible yet deep.

After a prolonged development cycle typical of Riot's "when it's ready" philosophy, the game entered a PC-only Early Access period in October 2024. This allowed the team to refine mechanics with a dedicated player base. The full, multi-platform launch on PC and consoles followed in late January 2026, marking the game's official bid for mainstream fighting game relevance. The recent staff cuts, therefore, come from an assessment of that crucial first month of full availability, suggesting the splash it made was smaller than Riot's ambitious projections.

Riot's Strategic Shift and the Road Ahead for 2XKO

This move does not occur in a vacuum. It follows broader 2024 layoffs at Riot, where the company cut about 11% of its staff to sharpen its focus on "core live games" like League of Legends and Valorant. The 2XKO reduction appears to be an extension of that same strategic realignment—a scaling back of investment in a project whose early returns haven't met the threshold for "core" status.

So, what is the road ahead? Riot has been clear that 2XKO is not being abandoned. The future involves a smaller, focused team continuing support with a mandate to make "key improvements." Crucially, Riot confirmed that plans for the 2026 Competitive Series remain unchanged and that support for tournament organizers will continue. This indicates a strategy to double down on the esports ecosystem to maintain visibility and engage the existing dedicated fans.

However, the implications of a halved team are significant. The pace of future content updates—such as new champion releases, stages, and cosmetic lines—will almost certainly slow. The frequency and scope of balance patches may be affected, and the development of new features or game modes previously on the roadmap could be deprioritized or shelved. The team's new challenge is to do more with less, identifying the most critical levers to pull to improve player retention and attract new audiences.

Community and Industry Reaction: Sentiment and Speculation

The reaction to the news has been overwhelmingly concerned, with a negative sentiment consensus (0.80) permeating discussions. The community's primary questions are existential: Is the game's long-term viability now in question? How will the quality and quantity of support change? There is a palpable fear that this could be the beginning of a "maintenance mode" slide, a fate that has befallen other live service fighters that failed to capture a massive audience.

Speculation now turns to what those "key improvements" might be. The streamlined team will likely prioritize fixes for pressing technical issues, balance tuning for the current roster, and perhaps refining the new-player onboarding experience to convert more casual tryers into dedicated players. In the broader context, this move underscores the immense challenges of the competitive fighting game genre within the live service model. It is a niche with a high skill ceiling and passionate fans, but one that struggles to achieve the consistent, mass engagement of a top-tier shooter or MOBA. Riot's adjustment is a stark reminder that even with the powerful League of Legends IP and substantial backing, success is never guaranteed.

The staff reduction at 2XKO is undeniably a significant setback, a concrete reflection of its struggle to find a mass audience in the critical window following its console launch. However, Riot's commitment to ongoing support, and particularly its esports circuit, signals that this is a retrenchment, not a retreat. The next year becomes a critical test for the streamlined development team. Their ability to deliver meaningful improvements, sustain the passion of the core community through the Competitive Series, and slowly build momentum will determine whether 2XKO can successfully adapt and carve out a sustainable niche in the fierce fighting game landscape. The bell has rung for the next round; 2XKO's team, though smaller, must now fight smarter than ever to secure its future.

Tags: Riot Games, 2XKO, video game layoffs, fighting games, esports