On September 9th, Riot Games will launch the closed beta for its fighting game, 2XKO. Officially announced in February 2024, the relatively quick timeline might surprise some, but for those closely following the project, the journey has been lengthy.

Riot’s connection to the fighting game genre can be traced back to March 2016 when the company acquired Radiant Entertainment, the studio behind the innovative fighter Rising Thunder. This acquisition marked the beginning of speculation regarding a new fighting game from Riot. In 2019, during its 10th anniversary celebration, Riot unveiled a project then known as Project L, which eventually evolved into the 2v2 gameplay mechanics that define 2XKO today.

This extended timeline means that fervent fans of 2XKO have been anticipating this game for almost a decade, leading to mixed feelings of impatience and confusion within segments of the fighting game community regarding the extended development period.

At Evo 2025, I had a conversation with 2XKO executive producer Tom Cannon and game director Shaun Rivera about whether the game’s initial reveal came too soon and the challenges faced during its protracted development. Would they reconsider the reveal of Project L if it were possible?

“I’m not sure I would,” remarked Tom Cannon. “There was definitely a cost to that early announcement—it put a timer in players’ minds, leading to jokes about nine years of development. However, we were deep into R&D at that point and needed player feedback to drive us forward and create something special.”

Cannon added, “If we hadn’t revealed it then, I’m not convinced we would have ended up with this version of the game. We monitored the community’s reactions closely, and while we didn’t achieve the enthusiastic response we hoped for, it pushed us to improve.”

Rivera shares Cannon’s sentiments and highlights the transparency of the development process as an advantage for 2XKO and Riot. “We’re not veterans at making fighting games; we’re learning along the way. I’ve been with Riot for 13 years, and the company actively encourages developers to engage with the player community. I remember wanting to hear from developers when I played fighting games myself.”

He noted the excitement of testing the game in public settings like Alpha Lab 1 and 2 and Evo, emphasizing, “The community is eager to play. We have our closed beta date now: September 9th.”

In the past, updates on 2XKO were infrequent, with long gaps between announcements. Rivera, reflecting on the perception of the game’s development time, believes there’s little that can be done about it now.

“Not really. After Radiant’s acquisition, we inherited a fantastic team from Rising Thunder, including Tom and Tony. When people hear about the project, they often wonder, ‘Great, but when’s the game coming?’ The initial 1v1 version tested before my time had potential but didn’t meet our standards.”

Rivera added, “I’ve been part of this project for five years, and we ultimately decided to transition to a 2v2 setup, which is a significant shift. The current version hasn’t taken the entire development span, but that acquisition timeline is irrefutable.”

Addressing concerns about the disparity between perception and reality, he concluded that the team could only focus on showcasing the game to players and iterating based on their feedback.

“Sometimes, you have to accept the situation. There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the legacy of Rising Thunder, and we recognize the anticipation. The best way to address it is to continually present the game to the audience and enhance it based on their input.”

With 2XKO, Riot aims to establish a fighter that is approachable for newcomers, and this deliberate developmental timeline is part of that strategy. As the beta release approaches, fans will soon find out if this approach proves worthwhile.