Another day, another wave of gaming layoffs. Today it’s Riot Games with the announcement that it’s cutting jobs on its pair-based fighting game 2XKO. For context, a representative from Riot confirmed to Game Developer that about 80 people are being cut, or roughly half of 2XKO’s global development team.
“As we expanded from PC to console, we saw consistent trends in how players were engaging with 2XKO,” according to the blog post from executive producer Tom Cannon. “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.”
The console launch for 2XKO happened last month. Cannon said the company’s plans for its 2026 competitive season have not altered with the layoffs. He added that Riot will attempt to place the impacted people at new positions within the company where possible.
2XKO launches today on Xbox Series X|S as a free-to-play title.
Team up with a friend or fight solo in 2v2 matches.
Find your main with 12 different champions to play.
Finally. 2XKO, the free 2v2 fighting game featuring League of Legends champions, launches today on Xbox Series X|S.
If you’ve been dying to get your hands on the game, you probably want to jump in right away. At the same time, booting it up for the very first time can be a little overwhelming. From champions, to Fuses, to teamplay mechanics, there’s a lot of information to absorb – especially for anyone new to tag fighters, or fighting games in general.
Here are some quick tips to help you get in-game and start having fun right away.
Grab a Duo Partner
2XKO is a 2v2 game, which means you can team up and fight as a duo. Whether you’re testing combos in Training mode or climbing the Ranked ladder together, the highs and lows of fighting games are better with friends.
Use your champ’s Assist moves by pressing A or back + A when they’re offscreen. Each champion has unique Assists, but here’s how to use a few:
When Braum uses Stand Behind Me Assist (back + A), he leaps to shield his ally from an attack. If you’re under pressure from the enemy team, this Assist can help you get some space back.
When Blitzcrank uses Rocket Grab Assist (A), they’ll extend their robotic arm to pull an enemy champion towards your team. Use this Assist to bring in opponents and follow up with your big hits.
When Vi uses Crater Maker Assist (back + A), she punches the ground and creates a hextech aftershock. It can hit opponents out of the air, so try this move if they’re jumping in.
When you’re playing with a friend, they can swap to you by hitting A right after your champion Assists. Coordinate to attack together, defend each other, and pull off tricky combos.
Find Your Main
Each character in 2XKO has a unique playstyle. For your first games, just pick the ones that look the coolest to you – you can always choose someone new in the next game.
Caitlyn, the Sheriff of Piltover, is our newest addition to the roster. Use her traps and deadly aim to stay ten steps ahead of the enemy duo.
Don’t forget that you’ll have two champions on your team, and they can play off of each other. If you’re looking for team-building suggestions, here are a few:
Caitlyn and Vi
Caitlyn uses her hextech-powered rifle to line up headshots, while Vi loves to brawl up-close. With their combined strengths, you’ll take down opponents at any range.
Darius and Ekko
Darius deals massive damage with his battle axe and makes opponents Bleed, but he’s on the slower side. Ekko can keep enemies guessing with fast movement and a teleport. Use Ekko to jump in (or out), and land big hits with Darius.
Ahri and Braum
Ahri is a quick spellcaster who excels in the air, while Braum is a supportive champion that can defend allies with a shield. Use Ahri’s magical foxfire to blast opponents, and if you find yourself under pressure, bring in Braum’s shield to retreat or position for your next move.
Try Pulse Combo
A combo is when you put together unique moves to damage an opponent. This can feel complicated when you’re still learning what your champion can do, but Pulse Combo is here to help.
In champion select, press RT to enable Pulse Combo. Once it’s on, you can press the same attack button repeatedly to automatically do a combo (if you land the first hit).
There are unique autocombos for the X, Y, and B buttons. Try each one to get an idea of the moves your champion can combine.
Play Tutorials
If you’re looking to improve your game, there are tons of tutorials to choose from in the Learning Hub. Here are the different types available:
Bot Beatdown: Win battles against bots to unlock chromas that change the color palette of four champions.
Tutorial: A series of fights to teach the basics of 2XKO, including movement, attacking, blocking. Completing this unlocks a set of cosmetics for your avatar.
Combo Trials: Learn combos for each champion, from beginner to expert-level difficulties.
Advanced Lessons: Level up with more advanced techniques for offense, defense, teamwork, and movement.
You can also find Training mode in the Learning Hub, where you can play against bots at your own pace.
Experiment with Fuses
Fuses are playstyle modifiers that change how your team works together. You pick your team’s Fuse after choosing your champions, so you can try each one out to see what suits you best.
Here are the Fuses that are available when you launch 2XKO for the first time:
Juggernaut: Play as a single champion with extra power. You can’t use Assists, but gain a few buffs, including bonus health, damage reduction, and additional bars of meter.
Sidekick: Your Point champion gains health and a defense boost. Your Assist champion can’t tag in, but gains supporting abilities.
Double Down: Combine your Point and Assist champions’ Super attacks.
There are two more advanced Fuses that can be unlocked by completing tutorials in the Learning Hub: 2X Assist and Freestyle.
2XKO is available for free in the Microsoft Store for Xbox. Check out the 2XKOwebsite and YouTube channel for more on how to play and to get a look at each champion. See you in the lobby!
2XKO
Riot Games
☆☆☆☆☆ 55
★★★★★
TEAM UP. TAG IN.
Welcome to 2XKO, the free-to-play fighting game from the makers of League of Legends and VALORANT.
2V2 COMBAT
In 2XKO, good teamwork makes the difference between victory and defeat. Fight solo to control both champions on your team, or grab a friend to duo with. Switch up your game every match with Fuses, powerful playstyle modifiers that change the rules your team plays by.
LEGENDARY FIGHTERS
League of Legends’ iconic champions take the stage with fresh movesets inspired by the MOBA and reimagined for fighting games. Immerse yourself in the world of Runeterra with beautifully crafted stages, cutting-edge 2D graphics, and original music tracks that bring your battles to life.
LOBBIES & MATCHMAKING
Step into a virtual arcade where your next duo partner—or rival—awaits. Ranked, Casual, and Private lobbies let you play your way whether you wanna compete, spectate, or just mash. Plus, with best-in-class rollback netcode and anti-cheat systems, 2XKO delivers fair, lag-free gameplay every time you queue up.
Riot Games is making a huge change to its terms of service that can punish creators for behavior that violates its codes of conduct when they’re not actively in-game, with updates set to go into effect on January 3, 2025.
In a blog post published Friday (thanks, Eurogamer), the League of Legendsdeveloper announced that many of these updates target content off-platform when it’s tied back to Riot games. So if a creator engages in less-than-appropriate conduct in spaces where a player’s or fan’s experience can still be negatively impacted, they can face penalties in-game. Riot clarifies that it’s not going to monitor social media, but it can take action if something comes to its attention.
What can fall under this purview depends on the creator’s jurisdiction, but the change pertain to a creator who might violate a law, harass an employee, engage in abusive, racist, or misogynistic behavior, spam chat, cheat, or engage in countless other behaviors listed in Riot’s code of conduct.
“TL;DR — If you say or do things that break our terms of service while broadcasting or creating content about our games, we can restrict access to your Riot accounts (and suspend your partner privileges if you are part of our Partner Program),” the post says.
Riot has also issued guidance on promotional content that can potentially violate its terms of service. So if a creator is selling accounts or teaching people how to cheat, they can be punished within Riot systems, even if they’re sponsored by a separate entity. There are also new policies involving stream sniping where another player watches the stream of an enemy player, and what Riot can restrict in the case of a penalty.
“For the rare occasion a seriously egregious violation occurs, we’re now including Riot-wide bans in our penalty system,” it wrote.
Riot games like League of Legends and Valorant have been plagued with toxic communities for years, which isn’t uncommon for popular competitive online games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Development teams have made some changes this year to help counteract those behaviors. The Valorant team issued a new esports code of conduct earlier this year, for example. The free-to-play shooter’s studio head Anna Donlon also announced new penalties for offending players and increased moderation support.
“Competitive games need to have room for banter. We believe this, and I do understand the fear that we will sanitize gaming by over-addressing these issues,” she said in a video. “But we do believe that a person should not be in a position to have to grow a thicker skin, or whatever… If you need to make truly evil statements under the guise of regular sh*t talk to enjoy gaming, then please play something else.”
