Riot Games Co-Founder Says 2XKO Needed ‘Hundreds of Thousands, if Not Millions’ of Monthly Active Players to Survive
Riot Games co-founder and Chief Product Officer Marc Merrill revealed the scale of ambition behind 2XKO, the company’s now-cancelled fighting game. Speaking on The Lemonade Stand podcast, Merrill disclosed that the project would have required “hundreds of thousands, if not millions” of monthly active players to justify its substantial development budget and timeline.
The figure has ignited discussion within the fighting game community, as experts and players consider the realistic player base for even the most successful titles in the genre. Most fighting games, even those from established franchises, struggle to maintain player populations at the scale Merrill described as necessary for 2XKO’s economic viability.
Merrill’s comments provided rare behind-the-scenes insight into the decision-making process that led to 2XKO’s cancellation. The discussion highlights the financial pressures facing fighting game development, where significant upfront investment must be recouped through competitive monetization strategies and sustained player engagement—metrics that remain exceptionally difficult to achieve in a historically niche genre.
The revelation underscores broader industry trends around the sustainability of live-service games and the widening gap between development ambitions and market realities. It also raises questions about resource allocation within Riot Games, which has faced multiple restructuring efforts and layoffs in recent years as the company reassesses its portfolio beyond its flagship League of Legends franchise.