Riot Games Cuts 80 Roles from 2XKO Team After Launch

Riot Games announced on February 9, 2026, that it is reducing the size of the development team for its free-to-play fighting game 2XKO by approximately 80 roles globally, less than a month after the title's full launch on consoles. The cuts represent roughly half of the original team, as the company shifts to a smaller group focused on long-term sustainability.

Executive producer Tom Cannon explained in a public statement that the decision stemmed from player engagement trends observed during the game's expansion from PC early access to consoles. "As we expanded from PC to console, we saw consistent trends in how players were engaging with 2XKO," Cannon wrote. "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." He emphasized that the move was not taken lightly and does not signal the end of support for the project.

2XKO, a 2v2 tag-team fighter featuring champions from the League of Legends universe, entered early access on PC in October 2025 before its official release on January 20, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Players team up in explosive matches, selecting...