2XKO would have needed an MAU base "in the high hundreds of thousands, if not millions" to succeed

Riot Games' 2XKO, a fighting game project, required a substantial monthly active user base in the high hundreds of thousands, if not millions, to be financially sustainable, according to the company's Chief Product Officer, Marc Merrill. During an interview on The Lemonade Stand podcast, Merrill revealed that while the game received positive feedback from some players, the audience was insufficient to support its intended live service model.

Despite receiving updates, 2XKO struggled to maintain engagement, and the project ultimately ended in August due to operational costs exceeding revenue. The game remains free to download on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with servers remaining online until 2026.

Merrill attributed 2XKO's failure to the release of Street Fighter 6, which came out eight years after the game's development began. He also mentioned that the team, while talented, faced leadership challenges following Riot's 2016 acquisition of Radiant Entertainment. After acquiring the studio, Riot canceled Rising Thunder, the free-to-play game that inspired 2XKO, but later released it as open-source.

Merrill concluded that misaligned strategies due to leadership changes were a contributing factor to the project's downfall.