5 ways 2XKO could redefine the fighting game genre in esports

In a sea of fighting games at countless esports events around the world, developer Riot Games thinks it can offer something different with 2XKO. Not content with having just two successful games in esports with League of Legends (LoL) and VALORANT, Riot Games believes it has something special with 2XKO.

Previously known as Project L, 2XKO is a tag-team fighting game with a cel-shaded art style that looks similar to Dragon Ball FighterZ, released in 2018. Characters are from the LoL universe, with nine planned to be in the final version of the game, set to be released by the end of the year.

However, despite the success, we think Riot Games has a chance with 2XKO to redefine the fighting game genre in esports in 2026, while not rocking the boat too much to alienate new and existing players.

2XKO is a tag-team fighting game developed by Riot Games and Radiant Entertainment. Initially announced in 2024 as Project L, it’s an extension of League of Legends, a popular esports game that’s still going strong, 15 years since its debut.

Set to be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, and PC, several playtests have been held since 2024. Called Alpha Labs, these let players try out early versions of 2XKO and give feedback to the developers. The most recent playtest was in April, and the reception was mixed, with some players commenting on how good 2XKO played, such as the tag-team style, as well as praise for the tutorial. Still, concerns remain about the balance changes compared to the previous Alpha Lab playtest.

Riot Games has stated that 2XKO will be out by the end of this year, with more characters set to be announced by then.

Tag-team gameplay is nothing new in fighting games, with Dead or Alive, Tekken Tag Tournament, and countless wrestling games featuring many types of fighting styles. Indeed, Riot Games explained how its tag-team system in 2XKO, called ‘Team’, works in a video published a year ago — along with Team Assists — but let’s see if the playstyle can go further than other titles before it.

Perhaps secret Team moves that work with certain characters, or others that use the scenery of the stages to deal more damage to the opponents. There are plenty of dynamics that could set 2XKO apart from other games at esports events, thanks to the Team system. This could be a great draw for new players and viewers to help build tension and suspense as characters are swapped and assisted by others.

Mortal Kombat, Tekken, and Street Fighter have done it, so why not 2XKO? Take Tekken, with appearances by Akuma from Street Fighter and Negan from The Walking Dead in Tekken 7, to Gon, the dinosaur that appeared in Tekken 3. Then there are the random guest characters of Mortal Kombat, such as the T-800 from The Terminator, Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare on Elm Street series, and countless more. However, 2XKO can do this differently by adapting characters from anime and other genres that fit its comic-book aesthetic.

There’s no word from Riot Games on a story mode, so there’s no need to justify a character from another series, akin to how Akuma was in Tekken 7. As long as the characters fit the game’s style, there could be characters from One Piece, Full Metal Alchemist, Yu-Gi-Oh, and more that could entice new players who may want something different to play.

Despite it seeming novel for Riot Games to bring in characters from its other titles into a fighting game, it’s been done before. Games such as Ehrgeiz, Kingdom Hearts, and even Onimusha with Blade Warriors are great examples of developers taking their characters from established titles and putting them into a fighting game. It’s something we don’t see nowadays, with Super Smash Bros. being the exception, but perhaps it should happen, and it could be a great boon for esports.

We see countless titles that stay in the same genre, but 2XKO is already showing how well LoL characters can fare in a completely different one. Elden Ring, Doom, and Yakuza are all great franchises that could do well as fighting games. They could show how the characters and settings work in the genre, and perhaps, if they gained traction, they could appear at several esports worldwide. It’s a stretch, granted, but it’s risks like these we need to see more of in the games industry, and it could pay off for many developers.

It’s fair to say that fighting games on iPhone and Android devices haven’t found their footing, with the last prominent game being Street Fighter IV CE. There hasn’t been a recent port of a fighting game on mobile devices, but perhaps this is where Riot Games could change the playing field.

We’ve said before how mobile esports is expected to break its own glass ceiling in revenue in the coming years, and Riot Games knows it. With VALORANT Mobile coming soon, a mobile port of the console and PC version, it’s an effort by the developer to see how it fares, especially with games like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile offering the same experience on iPhone and Android devices. To have 2XKO come to these same devices someday, too, it would showcase how well playing fighting games via mobile esports could work, and perhaps inspire other developers like Namco and ARC System Works to follow suit. 

Although 10 characters are planned for 2XKO once it’s out later this year, Riot Games should leverage its titles even more to feature other characters. For example, Legends of Runeterra, the developer’s collectable card game available on PC, iOS, and Android, still has a large following, despite Riot Games cancelling its Legends of Runeterra World Championship in 2024. Featuring other characters like Aurelian Sol and Miss Fortune looks like a natural fit for 2XKO, and could help surge more interest in the card game.

Another is VALORANT, especially with its latest act of Season 2025 bringing in a new map called Corrode. With its mobile port about to start a play-testing period in China, having its characters (Agents), like Phoenix and Jade in 2XKO, could appeal to longtime players of the free-to-play first-person shooter. Combined with the potential to see these Agents in 2XKO’s elegant cel-shaded art style, Riot Games could have a great opportunity here to bring new players to its other titles.

Riot Games believes it may have something special with 2XKO, but it’s crucial that it listens to the community so it can refine the game as it approaches release. Many will be all too familiar with the mess of Tekken 8’s Season 2 pass earlier this year, something that developer Bandai Namco is still trying to fix. 

2XKO can be an example of what Riot Games has taken on board with LoL and VALORANT throughout the years, and then implements all of this knowledge into the fighting game. If it looks into just a couple of the above, such as more characters from its other titles and focuses on its ‘Team’ system even more, 2XKO could be the breakout esports title of 2026 and beyond.