Marc Merrill, co-founder, co-chairman, and chief product officer of Riot Games, stated that he would not define the fighting game 2XKO as a mistake. However, the game failed to accumulate enough players to form a community capable of long-term sustainable development.
Merrill discussed the project in an interview during PAX West. He said that the concept for 2XKO stemmed from a question: how can we improve the experience for fighting game players? The team saw an opportunity to combine competitive fighting, free-to-play models, and the League of Legends IP, hoping to serve both League of Legends players and the fighting game community.
In Merrill's view, the final product featured distinct visual presentation and experimented with designs such as duo team battles. However, free-to-play and live-service games face high barriers; new titles must not only compete with other games but also vie for the time players spend on social media, videos, and other content.
He stated that a new game must excel in many areas simultaneously to achieve the player base necessary for building a community and ultimately achieving long-term sustainability. 2XKO did not reach this goal, but this does not mean the game itself was not excellent, nor does it indicate any change in the development team's original intention to serve the fighting game community.
Merrill also emphasized that while Riot cannot make every project a success, the company remains proud of 2XKO and will not shy away from attempting high-risk new projects. He also addressed concerns about Riot's other games, stating that the company is still moving forward with multiple projects.
Development of 2XKO will conclude at the end of 2026. Riot will offer refunds while keeping the game online.