Riot Games is restructuring the team behind 2XKO, its League of Legends-based fighting game, following what leadership describes as slowing momentum after launch.

In a blog post published February 9, 2XKO executive producer Tom Cannon confirmed that the studio has made the “difficult decision” to downsize the development team. According to a Riot spokesperson speaking to Game Developer, roughly 80 employees have been laid off about half of the game’s development staff.

The move comes just weeks after 2XKO’s full launch across platforms on January 20, following its Early Access debut on PC on October 7, 2025.

Despite the internal cuts, Riot says its 2026 competitive series plans remain unchanged. The company reiterated its commitment to supporting grassroots organizers and larger-scale events within the fighting game community.

That reassurance is significant. Riot has long positioned 2XKO as a serious competitive title, leveraging its esports infrastructure from League of Legends and Valorant. The downsizing raises questions about the scale of future updates, but Riot appears determined to maintain its competitive roadmap.

Support for Affected Staff

Riot confirmed it will provide impacted employees with transition support. According to the blog and follow-up comments, affected staff will receive at least six months of notice pay and severance where internal role transfers aren’t possible. The company also says it will assist employees in exploring opportunities elsewhere within Riot where feasible.

The layoffs arrive during a broader period of recalibration across the games industry, where live-service titles face increasing pressure to sustain long-term engagement.

Riot’s message is clear: the project isn’t being abandoned but it is being scaled to match reality.

For now, 2XKO continues on, albeit leaner. Whether a tighter team can reignite momentum remains to be seen, but Riot is betting that sustainability, not size, is what the game needs most.