Riot Games slashing 80 positions to streamline 2XKO development

Riot Games has announced a targeted round of layoffs affecting approximately 80 employees, a move that comes just three weeks after the developer’s high-profile League of Legends spin-off, 2XKO, celebrated its official launch. The workforce reduction primarily impacts the division responsible for the new fighting game, as the company seeks to reposition the project for long-term operational viability. This latest development follows a series of broader industry contractions and internal shifts at the Tencent-owned studio.

The layoffs were framed by Riot leadership as a necessary step toward establishing a more sustainable development cycle for 2XKO. In a statement addressing the changes, the company emphasized that the restructuring is intended to provide the project with a leaner, more efficient path forward. This decision is particularly notable given the timing, as the game recently completed a significant milestone with its official debut, a period usually associated with team stability or expansion.

Internal communications suggest that the move is less a reflection of the game's initial performance and more a proactive adjustment to the realities of the competitive fighting game market. By trimming the workforce now, Riot aims to ensure that the 2XKO team can maintain consistent support and content updates without the overhead of a larger, launch-phase staff. The affected employees represent a significant portion of the specialized group that transitioned the title from its early "Project L" days into a live-service product.

This workforce reduction marks another chapter in a turbulent year for the gaming industry, which has seen tens of thousands of job losses across major publishers and independent studios alike. Riot Games itself has undergone previous rounds of layoffs over the past year, as it pivots away from experimental side projects to double down on its core intellectual properties. Management has stated that the current team remains fully committed to the 2XKO roadmap, despite the smaller headcount now tasked with its execution.

The company has pledged to provide severance packages and career support for those impacted by the cuts. As the remaining developers continue to iterate on the 2XKO experience, the industry will be watching closely to see if this streamlined approach can indeed deliver the sustainability Riot envisions. For now, the focus remains on stabilizing the project’s internal structure to meet the high expectations of the League of Legends community and the broader fighting game scene.