Credit: Riot Games
Riot Games co-founder Marc “Tryndamere” Merrill explained why the fighting game “2XKO” failed to gain significant popularity. According to him, the studio missed a window of opportunity while “Street Fighter” was without a new installment.
Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill revealed on the “Lemonade Stand” podcast that, given maintenance costs, continued development of “2XKO” required a monthly audience of hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of players.
“We have no one to blame but ourselves. I think we had the opportunity to do something really great for the fighting game community, but then *Street Fighter 6* came out. By that point, we had been working on [2XKO] for eight years,” lamented Merrill.
The executive believes that had Riot released the game a few years before *Street Fighter 6*, it would have had a chance to make a significant impact on the community. In reality, “2XKO” “resonated with some players, but nowhere near the same numbers.”
2XKO entered early access in October 2025, with its full release following in January 2026. In August, Riot announced that active development would cease by the end of the year. Servers will remain operational, and players will be refunded for their in-game purchases.