Riot trims 2XKO team, lays off about 80 workers amid momentum concerns

Riot Games is downsizing the 2XKO development team by about 80 employees because the free-to-play fighting game hasn’t reached a level to sustain a team of that size long term, with Riot noting that almost half of the global development staff are affected. The company will assist impacted workers in finding opportunities within Riot and will provide at least six months of notice plus severance pay. 2XKO launched in early access for PC in October 2025 and is scheduled for a January 20, 2026 console release; development began in 2019 under the codename Project L.