Riot cuts 2XKO team by about 80 roles as player momentum fails to scale beyond a core audience

Riot Games is reducing the development team behind 2XKO, its free-to-play tag fighting game set in the League of Legends universe, after deciding the title’s player momentum was not strong enough to support its original staffing levels. Around 80 employees, roughly half of the game’s global development team, are being affected by the restructuring, according to Riot and company representatives. The move comes only weeks after the game’s January 2026 console launch and marks one of the gaming industry’s most closely watched post-launch workforce changes this year. Recent gaming industry layoffs have highlighted similar cost-cutting efforts across major publishers.

Why Riot Games is shrinking the 2XKO team

Tom Cannon, executive producer of 2XKO and one of the founders of Radiant Entertainment, said the decision followed an internal review of player engagement after the game expanded from PC to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. According to Riot, the fighting game has attracted a loyal competitive community, but overall growth has not reached the level needed to maintain such a large development team over the long term. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Rather than ending development, Riot says it is shifting to a leaner structure that allows the remaining team to focus on gameplay improvements, balance updates and features requested by players. Company leaders described the change as an effort to build a more sustainable future for the project instead of abandoning it. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Riot also confirmed that its planned 2026 Competitive Series remains unchanged. Tournament partnerships and support for local fighting game communities will continue despite the reduced development staff, signalling that esports and community events remain part of the game’s long-term strategy. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

A long development journey meets commercial reality

The decision is particularly notable because 2XKO has been in development for nearly a decade. Riot acquired Radiant Entertainment in 2016, bringing Tom Cannon and his team into the company. The project, originally known as Project L, eventually evolved into 2XKO before launching first on PC and later on consoles.

Fighting games often build dedicated communities that remain active for years, but they usually attract a smaller audience than genres such as multiplayer shooters or battle royale titles. That creates a difficult balance for publishers investing hundreds of developers over many years. Even a well-reviewed game can face financial pressure if player growth slows sooner than expected.

Riot’s announcement reflects a wider trend across the video game industry, where studios are increasingly adjusting team sizes after launch instead of maintaining large development groups indefinitely. Companies are placing greater emphasis on long-term operating costs, player retention and sustainable live-service support.

Support for affected employees

Riot says employees impacted by the restructuring will be encouraged to apply for other positions within the company where suitable opportunities exist. Those who cannot be placed internally will receive a minimum of six months of notice pay and severance as part of the company’s transition package. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

The company stressed that the layoffs are not intended as a reflection on the work completed by the development team. Cannon said the people behind 2XKO invested years of creativity and effort into bringing the project to release, and Riot remains committed to supporting them through the transition. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

For players, the immediate message is that 2XKO is continuing development, but with a narrower roadmap and a smaller team focused on improving the experience rather than rapidly expanding it. Whether that strategy can strengthen the game’s position in the competitive fighting game market will become clearer as Riot outlines its next updates later this year.

Riot’s complete announcement is available in the official company post, An Update on 2XKO.