Riot Games Co-Founder Reveals High Player Threshold Behind 2XKO Cancellation

The cancellation of Riot Games’ 2XKO has left the fighting game community reeling, and new comments from co-founder Marc Merrill have shed light on the astronomical expectations that led to the project’s pivot. Speaking on ‘The Lemonade Stand,’ Merrill revealed that for the game to justify its high development costs and live-service model, it required a consistent player base in the ‘high hundreds of thousands, if not millions’ of monthly active users.

The Timing Gap and Market Realities

Merrill addressed the impact of external competition, specifically the 2023 release of Street Fighter 6. According to Merrill, Riot had an initial window of opportunity to make a significant impact on the fighting game community, but the lengthy development process—which began years before the release of Street Fighter 6—ultimately placed them in a difficult position. The team pushed forward to give the game to the community despite internal challenges, including what Merrill described as ‘managerial fracturing’ and a lack of alignment on the project’s strategy.

Why it matters

For players, these comments highlight the fundamental disconnect between the high-budget live-service expectations of a studio like Riot and the reality of the fighting game genre, which historically supports smaller, dedicated populations. With Street Fighter 6 maintaining active user counts in the range of 16,000 to 20,000 on Steam, Riot’s target of millions appeared unrealistic to the community from the start.

Ultimately, 2XKO will not receive further content updates, though online servers remain active for those who wish to keep playing. Riot has pivoted away from the original live-service plan, opting to offer full refunds to players. This situation serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with applying massive-scale development expectations to the niche, highly competitive world of fighting games.

Looking Ahead

Originally unveiled as ‘Project L’ in 2019, 2XKO’s path to release was marked by long delays and an evolving structure. While Riot has ceased active development and plans to end support for content updates after December 2026, the game remains playable. The community reaction reflects broader concerns about the viability of AAA-funded fighting games when they fail to capture the massive, multi-million user audiences common in other genres.