Riot’s 2v2 fighting game 2XKO is not as widely popular as the publisher (stupidly) hoped, seeing as it’s a fighting game and all. Now, the complex and competitive FGC title has fallen off PlayStation’s download charts, even falling behind Highguard.
Riot has never released the exact number of downloads or players that 2XKO had, but we do know it wasn’t good enough for whatever the publisher envisioned. Riot laid off a lot of 2XKO developers shortly after launch, shocked that only fighting game nerds were playing the game.
It ranked pretty high on PlayStation’s download charts in its first month, which did seem promising. It was only behind Marvel Rivals and Call of Duty: Warzone for its first few weeks. Now, however, 2XKO is not on the Top 10 charts in North America or Europe. This means it’s now behind Overwatch, Apex Legends, and even Highguard, which is shutting down in days after being mocked for having so few players.
Why is 2XKO already behind Highguard in downloads?
After the mass layoffs, Riot has attempted to show good faith towards 2XKO. They recently revealed Akali and Senna as the next champions, and have been adding in-game rewards for attending tournaments.
The issue is that 2XKO will never reach the level of success Riot needs to keep supporting the fighting game. And that’s because Riot has treated it like a MOBA or FPS, which will lead to the game’s demise.
From the start, Riot has envisioned 2XKO being a mainstream game that everyone likes, even those beyond the fighting game community. They attempted their mainstream marketing campaigns and showed off popular champions in hopes that 2XKO would gain a wide audience.
Then, Riot started releasing super expensive skins. In League of Legends, MOBA players are obsessed with purchasing skins. But the FGC does not buy skins, which Riot apparently didn’t know beforehand. Especially not skins that are hundreds of dollars. Without tons of revenue from cosmetics, Riot probably has no reason to sink money into 2XKO.
Riot should have recognized 2XKO as a fighting game from the start. It’s popular within that niche, getting plenty of signups at Evo and beyond. But it’s not going to have the player count or mainstream appeal of Call of Duty or VALORANT.
It’s a fighting game — and one with a massively high skill ceiling and technical gameplay. This has made it popular with competitive fighters, many of whom have switched from other FGC titles. But only fighting game fans are going to watch them stream it or compete in it.
As 2XKO’s official esports circuit continues into 2026, let’s see if Riot decides it’s worth supporting.
Last Updated On: Mar 6, 2026 11:23 am CET