Riot Games is laying off half of the 2XKO development team

Source: Engadget

Riot Games cuts half of 2XKO development team

Riot Games announced that it is laying off roughly 80 employees—about half of the global development team—for its pair‑based fighting game 2XKO. The news was confirmed by a Riot representative to Game Developer and detailed in an official blog post by executive producer Tom Cannon.

“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.”

The console launch for 2XKO occurred last month, as reported by Engadget. Despite the layoffs, Cannon said the company’s plans for the 2026 competitive season remain unchanged. Riot will also attempt to place impacted employees in new positions within the company where possible.

References

• Riot Games announcement:
• Game Developer report:
• Console launch coverage: