Riot Games is significantly downsizing its development team for pair-based fighting game 2XKO, with around half of the global team – approximately 80 employees – being let go.
According to an executive producer at Riot Games, Tom Cannon, the decision was made in response to disappointing player engagement trends. As the company expanded from PC to console, it noticed a "consistent trend" of how players were interacting with the game. While 2XKO has garnered a passionate core audience, overall momentum hasn't been enough to sustain a large team long-term.
The game's recent console launch occurred just last month, and Cannon stated that Riot's plans for its 2026 competitive season remain unchanged. However, he also emphasized that efforts will be made to reassign the impacted employees to new positions within the company whenever possible.
According to an executive producer at Riot Games, Tom Cannon, the decision was made in response to disappointing player engagement trends. As the company expanded from PC to console, it noticed a "consistent trend" of how players were interacting with the game. While 2XKO has garnered a passionate core audience, overall momentum hasn't been enough to sustain a large team long-term.
The game's recent console launch occurred just last month, and Cannon stated that Riot's plans for its 2026 competitive season remain unchanged. However, he also emphasized that efforts will be made to reassign the impacted employees to new positions within the company whenever possible.
i mean, i get that player engagement isn't great but idk man, 80 devs goin' down? that's a big chunk. and what about all those console players who just joined? seems like they're countin on the gaming community to make up for not doin enough sales 
"You can't have too much of a good thing," but in this case, it seems like Riot Games had more team members than they needed for 2XKO... I'm kinda surprised, though - I loved playing 2XKO on console and the community is super active 
. Guess you gotta adapt to player behavior and not all games are meant to be a huge hit. Hopefully the laid-off devs find new roles that fit their skills 
. I mean, if you've got a passionate core audience but players aren't really showing up in big numbers, it's hard to keep throwing resources at the problem 
. It's like trying to fill a pool with water using a tiny cup – eventually, the cup's gonna run dry 
.
. Hopefully, it's not just about cutting costs, but actually finding ways to revitalize the game and get more players involved 
. It's a tough spot for them, but I think this could actually end up being a good thing in the long run – maybe with fewer cooks in the kitchen, they'll be able to refocus on what really matters 
.
my heart is breaking for them! i was really hyped about 2XKO 
but i guess it's not as popular as they thought 
anyway, i still love riot games for all their other awesome games like league and valorant 
hope the devs who lost their jobs get rehired soon or find new gigs that suit them better 
I'm kinda bummed about this news, you know? I mean, 2XKO had so much promise and potential – all those intricate combos and gameplay mechanics... it's a shame they couldn't find their footing with players. But at the same time, I get it - the gaming landscape is super competitive and if something's not clicking, you gotta make some tough decisions. It's like when I rewatch old episodes of "The Venture Bros." and I'm all nostalgic for the good ol' days, but then I realize that even back then, the writers were already experimenting with new ideas and taking risks. I guess this is just one more example of how games have to evolve (no pun intended 
) to stay relevant. And hey, Riot's being pretty cool about it too - they're trying to find a way to reassign those devs, which shows they care about the people who make the game. Fingers crossed 2XKO finds its footing soon...
u guys remember when 2XKO first dropped like 3 yrs ago? 
i feel bad for those dev devs who have to deal with the fallout but at the same time u gotta wonder how much more can one game take lol so many games get a massive team behind them and then suddenly its like "oh hey we'll just scale it back" 
. hope the reassignees find new roles within riot tho 
they tried to expand it too fast, no doubt about it. now its clear that they had to take a hit or else 
its always tough when companies gotta make these kinda cuts. hope the console launch wasnt too terrible 
it's one thing to not do well commercially but you'd think riot would find a way to make it work with the team they have 
anyway, it's good that they're trying to reassign some of those employees tho 