2XKO developer admitted that there’s a cost in revealing the game too early. Read on to learn more about the developers’ thoughts on the game’s development time and the current landscape of the tag-fighting genre.
2XKO’s Long Development Time and Upcoming Closed Beta
Needing Player Reaction
2XKO developers admitted that "there was a cost" when they revealed the game in its current state, but they needed player reactions to inspire them. In an interview with Eurogamer during EVO 2025, 2XKO Executive Producer Tom Cannon and Game Director Shaun Rivera shared their thoughts on whether the game was revealed "too early."
The origin of 2XKO dates back to 2016, when developer Riot Games acquired Radiant Entertainment, the studio behind the acclaimed fighting game, Rising Thunder. In 2019, Riot Games announced during their 10th anniversary that they are working on "Project L," which was initially presented as a 1v1 fighter.
It was radio silent for quite some time until 2023, when they provided fans with an update regarding Project L. The developers introduced the game as "2XKO," and announced that it will now be a 2v2 tag-team fighter. Since then, Riot Games has delivered occasional updates and alpha playtests, further improving the mechanics of the game.
Despite fans commending their transparency with consistent updates, the community is growing restless with the game not being released. It has been 9 years since fans were made aware of the project, and many are wondering why it’s taking so long for the game to launch.
Cannon knew that there were some repercussions with announcing the game too early, but the team needed to see the players’ reactions to "kick them in the butt" and inspire them to make something "special and different."
He stated, "There were costs for sure, but y'know, when we showed that we paid a lot of attention to how fighting game fans were reacting. The reaction we got was 'oh wow, that looks interesting, I'll check it out'. We wanted people jumping out of their chairs! We didn't get that reaction, so we had to do better and take it back to the shop."
Rivera shared the same sentiment and sees their transparency with the project as a strength of the game and Riot Games as a whole. He acknowledges that their team hasn’t developed fighting games for a long time, and that they are learning as they go.
Furthermore, he noted that there’s nothing they can do with players’ perception of 2XKO’s development time being too long, especially since buzz was already generated from Riot Games’ acquisition of Radiant Entertainment in 2016.
This was further accentuated by the team's addition of the Cannon Brothers, expert fighting developers and EVO co-founders. On top of the popularity of the League of Legends IP, fans expected great things to come out from the lineup of developers in the project.
Rivera elaborated, "It's no surprise that there's excitement around that. It's something we've got to push through, and at the end of the day the way you solve it is by getting the game in front of players and keep making it better over time."
Inching Closer to Closed Beta
Last month, Riot Games announced that 2XKO will be having its Closed Beta, starting on September 9, 2025. Fans celebrated as they will now have the chance to test the game outside of live in-person events. Moreover, the developers plan to keep the game live until it fully launches.
Speaking with IGN during EVO 2025, 2XKO Lead Champion Designer Alex Jaffe expressed his excitement and emotions about the upcoming Closed Beta. "We've been working on this game for a long time. I think people know. People have been waiting, right? We get it. We are the same way. We just want people to have the game. We just want them to play," he said.
Jaffe also emphasized the major changes they made after receiving feedback from Alpha Lab 1 and 2 tests, which include long combos, difficulty in starting combos, low damage, too much healing, and more.
He explained, "So a lot of just somewhat subtle maybe to an unfamiliar player, but really, really central to someone who's playing the game hard in terms of making sure that it's fair and interesting."
Other Tag Fighters on the Rise
Aside from 2XKO, numerous other tag-fighting games are looking to make a statement in the genre, both current titles and upcoming ones. Jaffe said that they are excited about the landscape of the genre, especially since everyone on their team loves tag-fighters.
He elaborated, "We're genuinely psyched that there are more options out there and that there are going to be more people playing tag fighters on account of multiple games coming out. And it's really cool just seeing them, everyone's taking very different takes on it."
Jaffe mentioned games such as Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls and Hunter x Hunter Nen Impact introducing players to this "peak experience". He stated, "So we're excited, and we want people to play our game, and enjoy it, and in general, to play tag games to enjoy them."
Unfortunately, there is still no timetable for the game’s release date, and how long it will be in Closed Beta. "I can't say really. But, fingers crossed, not too long," Jaffe said.
Regardless, fans are excited to get their hands on the long-awaited tag-fighter. Riot Games urges everyone to try it out, especially with all the improvements the game has received substantial player feedback from Alpha tests.
2XKO will be having its Closed Beta on September 9, 2025, exclusively for PC. It is set to be released sometime in 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via the Riot Games client. To stay up to date with the latest information about the game, check out our article below!
Source:
Was Riot Games' fighting game, 2XKO, revealed too early? "There was a cost for sure," admit senior developers
2XKO Lead Champion Designer Talks Vi and the Changes Coming in the Closed Beta | Evo 2025
2XKO Closed Beta Announcement
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