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2XKO: What we know about the League of Legends fighting game
Assist attacks, crisp movement and a great design philosophy. 2XKO wants to be the next big tag team fighter. Find out what we know so far.
More and more information about Riot's fighting game, 2XKO, is coming to light. Mostly presented in the form of extensive developer diaries. Here, the mechanics and philosophy behind the title's development are discussed in detail.
Jeannail 'Cuddle_Core' Carter is ready to take on 2XKO
© Kena Krutsinger/Red Bull Content Pool
2XKO – All the facts
01
The new name: 2XKO
The title was originally known as Project L. In February, it was announced that the game's actual name would be 2XKO (pronounced: Two Ex Kay Oh).
02
The team behind 2XKO
Riot Games have brought in a few experts for the development of 2XKO. Tom and Tony Canon are spearheading the project. The twins are fighting game veterans and co-founders of Evo, among others. Tony Canon also began developing Rollback Netcode in 2006. This type of data transmission for online play in fighting games is far superior to delay-based netcode and is currently used in numerous games such as Guilty Gear Strive and the upcoming The King of Fighters XV.
Icons of the fighting game scene: Tom and Tony Cannon
© Riot Games
Before joining Riot Games, the Canons launched the fighting game Rising Thunder. The title offered some innovative approaches, but not every player liked them. Special moves can be equipped in various ways and have different cool-downs. However, these are only visible to the player of a character. As a result, the title cannot be played on one screen, as is usual for the genre. It was only possible to play online matches, as each fighter required their own interface. In the spectator view, on the other hand, a regular HUD could be seen, as used in other fighting games.
In August 2019, Tom Canan announced that the Rising Thunder team was now working on a new title. This turned out to be 2XKO the following October.
49 min
The Art of Street Fighting
The world's top Street Fighter V players prepare for the fight of their lives at Red Bull Kumite.
03
The core of the gameplay: 2v2
In the first trailer, Tom and Tony Canon take the time to give us a deeper insight into the mechanics of 2XKO. As expected, the title is a classic 2D fighter. However, for the first time, we were able to experience a crucial function in action: tags and assists.
As League of Legends is a game that relies heavily on team synergy, 2XKO should also convey this feeling. This means you don't just choose a champion as your fighter, but a team. While one character is "on point," the rest of your team is available to you as assist attacks or can be substituted. It currently looks as if 2XKO will offer a 2v2 system.
Darius uses Ekko's assist to launch his offence
© Riot Games
The title is, of course, primarily reminiscent of the classic Capcom Vs games, such as Marvel vs Capcom. One of the more recent tag games is Power Ranger: Battle for the Grid. The structural similarity is not surprising as the 2XKO team also includes former developers of this Power Ranger game.
Just like Power Ranger: Battle for the Grid, 2XKO relies on special moves that can be triggered simply by pressing a button combined with a directional input. This means the title will probably not rely on classic inputs such as quarters, half circles and dragon punches. This decision was made to give newcomers quicker access to a character's move set.
Darius’ special move, Apprehend, can be performed with just a single button
© Riot Games
The game's tag mechanics are explained in more detail in their second developer diary. The following options were demonstrated:
- Assist actions: This is where your second character is called into battle to perform one of two different actions. These, of course, vary from champion to champion and are comparable to the assist attacks from Marvel vs Capcom or Dragon Ball FighterZ.
- Handshake tag: Allows you to take direct control of your second character if he is on the screen. This allows you to call him for an assist action and switch directly to him. This is reminiscent of a fairly similar mechanic from BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle.
- Dynamic-safe: This is 2XKO's burst. You switch to your second champion with a short burst of energy. Similar to other games that have burst, it can be devastating if your opponent reads this defensive move and punishes you.
04
Fuse system
Once you have decided on two characters, you can choose a fuse afterwards. These determine how your team works together. There are currently two known fuses:
- Fury: Champions do more damage with less life.
- Freestyle: Handshake tags are possible twice in a combo.
- Double down: Combines the ultis of both characters. Super moves can be performed similarly to a DHC from the Marvel vs Capcom series.
- 2x Assist: Allows your partner to use multiple assists in succession.
- Pulse: Enables auto combos by repeatedly entering Light, Medium or Heavy.
Before the match, you choose a fuse for your team
© Riot Games
05
Duo play
In 2XKO, getting into the ring with a friend will be possible. The gameplay will not change. One player controls the champion, who is currently "on point." If the second champion of a team is substituted, the respective partner takes control. This also works in a 1v2 constellation
06
How to play the game
2XKO uses six buttons:
- Light Attack
- Medium Attack
- Heavy Attack
- Special 1
- Special 2
- Tag
A dash macro and a parry macro can also be assigned to the buttons. Dashes can also be entered via Light+Medium and Parries with Light+Heavy.
Riot Games also released a short "How to Play" video to mark the release of the demo on EVO 2023:
07
The philosophy behind the game
However, Tony and Tom Canon emphasise that they do not want to make 2XKO "simple." As veterans of the FGC, they know that a large part of the fascination comes from watching experts use a character in a way you would never have thought of yourself. This creates motivation and the will to get to that level. They say those who put more time into the game should be rewarded for it.
It's not about beginners having the chance to beat a pro. It's about having fun at every skill level
A short presentation of the champion Ekko follows this. The Canons use this opportunity to give fighting game connoisseurs a few deeper insights into the movement of 2XKO. They demonstrate the possibility of cancelling dashes using duck movements and creating a wave dash, as seen in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, for example. Ekko's detailed demonstration also clarifies how much passion and creativity went into the realisation of the well-known champions for 2XKO.
Back dash cancels could be an important part of 2XKO
© Riot Games
08
Movement in 2XKO
As already mentioned, players should be able to move as freely as possible. According to Riot, the following movement options will be available to almost all characters:
- Walk
- Run
- Dash
- Chain Dash
- Jump
- Long Jump
- Super Jump
Jeannail 'Cuddle_Core' Carter at Combo Breaker
© Kena Krutsinger/Red Bull Content Pool
Characters also offer unique ways to move. The trailer shows Ahri performing an air dash as an example.
09
Free to play
2XKO will be free to play. Exact information on the payment model has not yet been confirmed. But just like League of Legends, Valorant or Legends of Runeterra, this title will also be free to play.
This would not be the first fighting game to try this framework. The reboot of Killer Instinct was already free to play. You could play a rotating selection of fighters without having to pay money. However, you had to pull out your credit card to unlock characters permanently.
How exactly it will work here - whether there will be a rotation or not - has not yet been confirmed. Nor will there be a bundle that includes all available characters.
10
Alpha Lab (Beta)
The first opportunity to play 2XKO will be the first beta phase in August 2024. Riot is calling this playtest Alpha Lab, which will include the full online feature available at that time. Offline play will not be part of the Alpha Lab. Both PC, Xbox and PlayStation will be able to participate together.
11
Confirmed characters
Ahri hits Darius after a successful air-dash attack
© Riot Games
The following characters have already been confirmed through gameplay trailers, champion reveals or concept art:
- Ekko
- Ahri
- Darius
- Jinx
- Yasuo (Reveal Trailer)
- Illaoi (Reveal Trailer)
