Yes – but it won’t put FGC on the map
You would think it would be a bad start to the year for 2XKO after hearing about the Riot Games layoffs. Eighty employees working on the 2v2 fighting game were recently let go after publisher Riot felt the game hadn’t reached the audience and hype the developer predicted.
Riot Games’ Tom Cannon headed a statement to that effect on the company’s website: “As we expanded from PC to console, we saw consistent trends in how players were engaging with 2XKO. 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.”
While it’s always sad to see layoffs – announcements of which have been a regular occurrence in the games industry of late – this news may not have a large impact on the future of 2XKO’s esports scene.
Why is this? That “passionate core audience” is the fighting game community (FGC) and its backing for the game has been resolute. It may never reach League of Legends levels of popularity, but 2XKO has all the ingredients to be successful relative to other fighting games – and that’s what it takes to keep the scene alive.
2XKO’s packed esports roadmap
In 2025 we saw plenty of independently organized 2XKO tournaments at both local and international levels. Tournament organisers, even ones as large as EVO, saw the game’s potential and sought to get the scene kick-started ahead of Riot Games’ official esports circuit.
Now the “Competitive Series” is here. There will be officially sanctioned Majors and Challengers throughout the year which will showcase the best-of-the-best 2XKO players, earning them hefty prize money, prestige, and the chance to be considered the best in the fairly new FGC scene.
Some Majors to note include EVO Japan in May, EVO Vegas in June and EVO France in October, which will no doubt be among the most prestigious titles to win. With 2XKO featured at all of the biggest fighting game events throughout the year – including community favourites like GENESIS X3 and CEO – 2XKO is showing that it’s building a strong esports scene just a few months in.
2XKO’s growing competitive FGC scene
While Riot Games may have not reached the soaring levels of popularity for a fighting game it had wished with the launch of 2XKO, it has reached its core audience. And it has not just reached it – it’s shaping it.
EVO Vegas on June 26-28th is going to be the largest FGC event of the entire year. Early registration has already been revealed, showing that 2XKO has the third-most signups. This puts it behind only Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8, two staples of the Evolution Championship Series.
One reason 2XKO is such a big hit with the fighting game scene is its complex gameplay. It’s a game with a high skill ceiling, requiring practice, precision, and plenty of skill to dominate. This has proven detrimental to the growth of fighting games in the past, which is why Street Fighter and Tekken offer simplified controls and plenty of training modes. However, this is how you become popular with competitive players.
Many fighting game legends in the esports scene have decided to switch over to 2XKO due to its intense and complex gameplay. This includes Super Smash Bros. Melee veteran William “Leffen” Hjelte and multi-title EVO champion Dominique “SonicFox” McLean. The two are already hardcore rivals in the scene, clashing at both sanctioned and unofficial tournaments.
The support and involvement of popular fighting game pros has made 2XKO even more entertaining to follow for the FGC. It has kept audiences invested, even if they’re not playing the game themselves.
However, it’s not just fighting game veterans who are dominating at tournaments. Online warrior bleed, just 16 years old, won Frosty Faustings XVIII, Riot’s first official Major of the year. He beat SonicFox, Leffen, and Steve “Supernoon” Carbajal in the bracket to win, showing that there are plenty of people grinding 2XKO from all walks of life and all levels of popularity.
“That was genuinely so fun to watch,” said SonicFox of the tournament, calling bleed the next prodigy in 2XKO.
Is 2XKO going to last?
It had been predicted (including by this author) that 2XKO would put fighting games on the map. Large prize pools and developer support seemed to be the key. However, it seems like that may have been a far-fetched fantasy by the gaming community (and Riot itself).
That said, Riot Games’ layoffs are not a sign of failure for 2XKO. The layoffs just confirm what the FGC already knows: fighting games are usually only popular with other fighting game fans. They are not going to have the same mainstream draw as League of Legends or Counter-Strike, even if they have LoL champions competing or are backed by a large publisher.
The fighting game scene is a constant. It’s one of the oldest in esports history, starting in arcades before PCs were a blip on anyone’s radar. While they have a long, passionate and deep history, the FGC has never grown very large outside of its niche. In fact, the FGC can often oppose this type of growth, with criticism leveled at Riot Games for attempting to make 2XKO mainstream through Chipotle advertisements.
The key to success for games like 2XKO in esports is understanding the fighting game scene, not seeking a larger audience. Embrace the strange quirks and competitive, gatekeeping nature of the FGC and a game will have a long life in the scene. It may not be anywhere as big as Dota 2, but it will be an ongoing staple in events like EVO.
