Just three weeks after the full launch of 2XKO on January 20, 2026, Riot Games dropped a bombshell that sent shockwaves through the fighting game community . On February 9, the publisher announced it was reducing the development team by approximately 50%—around 80 employees—citing insufficient player momentum to sustain a team of that size long-term .
Executive Producer Tom Cannon delivered the news directly, stating that while the game resonated with a passionate core audience, the overall momentum hadn’t reached expectations . Affected employees received at least six months severance and assistance finding other roles within Riot .
Despite the dramatic cuts, Riot has confirmed that 2026 Competitive Series plans remain unchanged . The EU Community Series Season 1 launched February 18, and the packed tournament calendar continues with Genesis X3, Texas Showdown, and Viennality on the horizon .
EU Community Series Season 1 Now Underway
On February 18, Riot unveiled the roadmap for the 2XKO EU Community Series Season 1, running from February 18 to April 13, 2026 . Players across four regions—France, Spain, DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), and the UK/Nordics—will compete for circuit points and a chance to win a fully funded trip to EVO 2026 in Las Vegas .
EU Community Series Structure
| Event Type | Description | Points Count |
|---|---|---|
| Online Community Locals | Online tournaments hosted by The Hustle Games | Top 2 results count |
| Community Locals | Offline grassroots events across Europe | Top 3 results count |
| Community Nationals | Major offline events with highest points | All results count |
The top two players from each region advance to the Season Finals on April 18-19, where the winner earns a fully paid trip to compete at EVO Las Vegas 2026 . The player with the highest circuit points overall receives a commemorative MVP trophy .
Key events include Galaxian Explosion: Dark Resurrection III in Paris (February 21), gamescom LAN x CGN Open in Cologne (March 20-22), and EDINBRAWL V in Edinburgh (April 11) .
2026 Competitive Series Calendar Unchanged
Despite the development team cuts, the 2026 Competitive Series moves forward with 20 sanctioned tournaments worldwide—5 Majors and 15 Challenger events . The next events on the calendar are:
- Genesis X3 – February 13-15 (San Jose, California)
- Texas Showdown – March 27-29 (Houston, Texas)
- Viennality XL – March 28-29 (Vienna, Austria)
The three EVO Majors remain confirmed: EVO Japan (May 1-3), EVO Las Vegas (June 26-28), and EVO France (October 9-11) . Brazil’s Battle Coliseum closes the year November 20-22 .
Riot’s Esports Director Michael Sherman emphasized the grassroots approach: “Our focus is finding more ways to support the 2XKO community—whether through funding, visibility, or helping lighten the workload for organizers” .
The FGC Reacts: Can 2XKO Survive?
The layoff news generated concern, but the fighting game community remains engaged. EVO Vegas early registration shows 2XKO as the third-most entered game, behind only Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 . This signals strong grassroots interest despite the development shakeup.
The “passionate core audience” Riot cited includes FGC legends like SonicFox and Leffen, who have embraced 2XKO and created compelling rivalries . The community also witnessed a breakout moment when 16-year-old online warrior bleed won Frosty Faustings XVIII, defeating SonicFox, Leffen, and Supernoon in the bracket .
SonicFox called the tournament “genuinely so fun to watch” and hailed bleed as the next prodigy in 2XKO .
