Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What actually happened to 2XKO? Rooflemonger joins MonteCristo, Thorin, and Richard Lewis for a deep dive into Riot Games’ new fighter: 2XKO. We discuss its rocky launch, confusing name, use of the League of Legends IP, small roster, monetization strategy, and why expectations may have been wildly misaligned with reality... leading to layoffs. We also explore how the broader gaming industry’s shift toward legacy IP affects new titles and why single‑player experiences still matter in fighting games.
Topics covered:
• The development history of 2XKO
• How monetization works in 2XKO
• The state of single‑player games & why 2XKO lacks onboarding modes
• Riot’s overconfidence in the League of Legends IP
• Why a tiny character roster is off-putting, especially for this game
• Riot’s unrealistic expectations for scale and esports dominance
• Industry analysis: new games struggle while legacy titles dominate playtime
• How 2XKO is faring in Japan’s fighting‑game scene
If you enjoyed this breakdown, like, subscribe, and drop your take on 2XKO’s future in the comments!
Rooflemonger's channel: @rooflemonger
Make processes faster and help your teams stay ahead with Notion! Support the show and try Custom Agents now at notion.com/FOURHORSEMEN
Visit prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/HORSEMEN and use code HORSEMEN and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup!
Head to factormeals.com/horsemen50off and use code horsemen50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year.
Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with Mando and get 20% off + free shipping with promo code HORSEMAN at shopmando.com
The Four Horsemen is the premier esports industry show that reacts to important news and critical conversations across all major titles. Esports veterans Duncan "Thorin" Shields, Richard Lewis, and Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles use their decades of experience to shed light and debate on key esports topics as they emerge. Each episode they are joined by an expert guest to help further provide insider information on the topic at hand.
Episode 59 was filmed on February 25th, 2026.
Watch The Four Horsemen on Spotify with video:
open.spotify.com/show/2NBATCQs2dq50PJRjND7j9
Listen to The Four Horsemen on these audio platforms!
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-four-horsemen/id1555303495
Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ucw0inmo
Pandora: pandora.com/podcast/the-four-horsemen/PC:1001030353
iHeart: iheart.com/podcast/104246987
Come join the Insight on Esports Discord for in-depth discussion across esports: discord.gg/zeWYq4JhEU
00:00 - What is 2XKO?
36:04 - How is 2XKO monetized?
45:17 - The state of single-player games
54:22 - The game's name and use of LoL IP
1:22:03 - Number of players + the game's lackluster roster
1:40:19 - Expectations for 2XKO
2:07:20 - The games industry report
2:21:30 - Closing thoughts + 2XKO in Japan
#2XKO #RiotGames #FightingGames #FGC #LeagueOfLegends #GamingIndustry #Arcane #ProjectL #MarvelTokon #StreetFighter6
What actually happened to 2XKO? Rooflemonger joins MonteCristo, Thorin, and Richard Lewis for a deep dive into Riot Games’ new fighter: 2XKO. We discuss its rocky launch, confusing name, use of the League of Legends IP, small roster, monetization strategy, and why expectations may have been wildly misaligned with reality... leading to layoffs. We also explore how the broader gaming industry’s shift toward legacy IP affects new titles and why single‑player experiences still matter in fighting games.
Topics covered:
• The development history of 2XKO
• How monetization works in 2XKO
• The state of single‑player games & why 2XKO lacks onboarding modes
• Riot’s overconfidence in the League of Legends IP
• Why a tiny character roster is off-putting, especially for this game
• Riot’s unrealistic expectations for scale and esports dominance
• Industry analysis: new games struggle while legacy titles dominate playtime
• How 2XKO is faring in Japan’s fighting‑game scene
If you enjoyed this breakdown, like, subscribe, and drop your take on 2XKO’s future in the comments!
Rooflemonger's channel: @rooflemonger
Make processes faster and help your teams stay ahead with Notion! Support the show and try Custom Agents now at notion.com/FOURHORSEMEN
Visit prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/HORSEMEN and use code HORSEMEN and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup!
Head to factormeals.com/horsemen50off and use code horsemen50off to get 50 percent off and free breakfast for a year.
Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with Mando and get 20% off + free shipping with promo code HORSEMAN at shopmando.com
The Four Horsemen is the premier esports industry show that reacts to important news and critical conversations across all major titles. Esports veterans Duncan "Thorin" Shields, Richard Lewis, and Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles use their decades of experience to shed light and debate on key esports topics as they emerge. Each episode they are joined by an expert guest to help further provide insider information on the topic at hand.
Episode 59 was filmed on February 25th, 2026.
Watch The Four Horsemen on Spotify with video:
open.spotify.com/show/2NBATCQs2dq50PJRjND7j9
Listen to The Four Horsemen on these audio platforms!
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-four-horsemen/id1555303495
Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ucw0inmo
Pandora: pandora.com/podcast/the-four-horsemen/PC:1001030353
iHeart: iheart.com/podcast/104246987
Come join the Insight on Esports Discord for in-depth discussion across esports: discord.gg/zeWYq4JhEU
00:00 - What is 2XKO?
36:04 - How is 2XKO monetized?
45:17 - The state of single-player games
54:22 - The game's name and use of LoL IP
1:22:03 - Number of players + the game's lackluster roster
1:40:19 - Expectations for 2XKO
2:07:20 - The games industry report
2:21:30 - Closing thoughts + 2XKO in Japan
#2XKO #RiotGames #FightingGames #FGC #LeagueOfLegends #GamingIndustry #Arcane #ProjectL #MarvelTokon #StreetFighter6
