A Launch That Quickly Turned Sour

The release of a long-in-development game is typically a moment of relief and celebration, especially for teams that have spent years iterating, testing, and refining their work. For live-service titles, that moment usually marks the beginning of a sustained post-launch cycle, complete with balance updates, new content, and community growth.

That was not the case for 2XKO. Riot Games’ League of Legends–themed fighting game only recently exited early access, launching version 1.0 alongside its console debut and first seasonal update on January 20. Instead of entering a period of expansion, the project was immediately hit by major internal restructuring.

Riot Games Confirms Significant Layoffs

Just weeks after launch, Riot Games confirmed layoffs affecting nearly half of the 2XKO development team, with approximately 80 employees impacted across multiple regions. The decision was publicly addressed by Executive Producer Tom Cannon in an official post on the game’s development blog.

According to Cannon, player engagement across both PC and console platforms failed to meet Riot’s internal expectations. Based on those numbers, Riot concluded that maintaining the team at its original size was no longer sustainable, leading to a decision to downsize and reorganise the project around a smaller core group.

A Smaller 2XKO Team, But Continued Development Promised

Riot has been careful to frame the layoffs as a restructuring rather than an abandonment of the game. In its statement, the company stressed that 2XKO will continue to receive updates and support, and that the reduced team is intended to provide more focused development, not signal an imminent shutdown.

Affected employees have been offered options to transfer to other roles within Riot Games, where available, or to depart the company with a severance package equivalent to six months’ salary. Riot also stated that it is providing career support to those impacted by the layoffs.

Community Confidence Put to the Test

Despite Riot’s reassurances, the timing of the layoffs has raised concerns within the fighting game community. Early post-launch momentum is often critical for competitive fighters, particularly those positioned as long-term live-service titles meant to stand alongside genre mainstays.

While Riot maintains that 2XKO still has a future, the combination of weak engagement metrics and immediate downsizing has left players questioning whether the game can grow into the competitive pillar Riot once envisioned. For now, the long-term prospects remain uncertain, and much will depend on how the newly reduced team navigates the months ahead.