Riot's 2XKO Dev Team Takes a Hit: Is the Magic Fading Already, or Just Getting a Smaller Wand?
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Riot Games has reportedly laid off around 80 developers from its League of Legends fighting game, 2XKO, less than a month after its full release, citing a lack of 'overall momentum' despite a 'passionate core audience.' This move, following previous layoffs at Riot, raises questions about the game's future and the broader industry's trend of rapid team cuts.
Right, so apparently, the digital tea leaves have been swirling, and what they're showing isn't exactly a triumphant victory spell for Riot Games' fighting game, 2XKO. Less than a month after its full release, the League of Legends spin-off is reportedly seeing a significant chunk of its development team – around 80 people, or roughly half the global crew – getting laid off. Bloody hell, that's a rapid turnaround, isn't it?
This nugget of news comes courtesy of a report by Game Developer, which Rock Paper Shotgun (by Mark Warren) picked up. It's a proper head-scratcher, frankly. You spend years, under the codename Project L, building anticipation, rolling out early access, then finally dropping the full experience, only for the axe to fall so swiftly. It makes you wonder if someone accidentally misread the enchantment during development.
Riot's official line, from 2XKO Executive Producer Tom Cannon, acknowledges the reduction in team size but conveniently sidesteps actual numbers. It’s all about “consistent trends in how players were engaging” and that “overall momentum hasn’t reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term.” Ah, ‘momentum.’ That magical, elusive beast that determines the fate of perfectly good jobs. We've heard that one before, haven't we, mate? It's the corporate equivalent of a wizard saying, 'Look, the portal closed because the 'spatial resonance momentum' wasn't quite there.'
They're talking about a “smaller, focused team” needing to “dig in and make key improvements” for a “more sustainable path forward.” Now, I’m a big believer in agile development and focused efforts, but cutting half a team practically out of the gate feels less like fine-tuning a spell and more like trying to fix a leaky cauldron with a single drop of magic. Can a significantly reduced team genuinely provide the robust support and fresh content needed to turn the tide for a competitive fighting game, especially one trying to carve out its niche in an already crowded arena?
Let’s be fair dinkum for a moment. Shipping a game like 2XKO, expanding from PC to console, is no mean feat. The developers involved, as Cannon himself admits, poured 'years of creativity, care, and belief' into this project. That’s the human story behind these numbers – real people, real passion, now facing the uncertainty of job hunting. Riot says those not finding new roles internally will get a minimum of six months’ notice pay and severance, which is certainly a step above some of the less generous industry practices we've seen lately, but it doesn't change the sting of being let go from a project you’ve nurtured.
This isn't an isolated incident for Riot, either. These 2XKO layoffs follow two previous, pretty substantial rounds of job cuts for the company in the past couple of years. We saw around 530 workers jettisoned in March 2024, alongside the closure of their Forge publishing label, and another 32 staff shown the door in October the same year. It paints a picture, doesn't it? A studio that, despite its massive successes with League of Legends and Valorant, seems to be re-evaluating its magical expenditure across the board.
It’s a pattern we've been observing across the wider gaming industry – a period of expansion followed by sharp contraction. Companies taking big swings, then quickly retreating when the initial results aren't immediately blockbuster-level. It makes you wonder about the pressure on these games to perform instantly, to capture 'momentum' from day one, rather than being given the space to grow and evolve over time, which is often how successful games truly bloom.
On the brighter side (because I'm an optimist, even when the digital ether gets murky), Riot is sticking to its plans for 2XKO’s 2026 competitive events. That's something, right? It implies they still see a future for the game on the esports stage, which is usually a good indicator of long-term commitment. But then, you have to ask, who's going to be developing the patches, the new characters, the balance changes, and the network improvements needed to keep that competitive scene vibrant and fair? The aforementioned 'smaller, focused team' will certainly have their work cut out for them, like trying to juggle three flaming swords with one hand.
So, what does this all mean for us, the players? Well, for the 'passionate core audience' mentioned by Riot, it's a mix of hope and anxiety. Will the game get the love it needs? Will future content be impacted? Will the 'sustainable path forward' lead to a vibrant fighting game, or merely a holding pattern?
I reckon it’s a moment for cautious optimism, tinged with a healthy dose of skepticism. The gaming landscape is constantly shifting, and sometimes, even the most powerful wizards have to adjust their spellbooks. Let’s hope that this isn't just a corporate vanishing act, but a genuine attempt to reshape 2XKO into the fighting phenomenon it has the potential to be. Either way, I'll be watching closely, wand in hand, ready to see what unexpected turns this digital adventure takes next.
Tags: Riot Games, 2XKO, Layoffs, Fighting Games, Game Development
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun