Riot Games has officially confirmed that its highly anticipated League of Legends-based fighting game, 2XKO, will launch with a roster of just 10 playable champions. This revelation came during a recent Discord AMA session, where Game Director Shaun Rivera addressed fan concerns about the game’s character count at release.
Quality Over Quantity
While the League of Legends universe boasts 170 champions, the developers have opted for a smaller starting lineup to prioritize an earlier release rather than delay the game to expand the roster.
“We will have 10 playable champions at launch,” wrote Rivera. “We know it’s a smaller number than you would expect, but when faced with a trade-off of including even more champions resulting in delaying the release date vs. getting it into your hands sooner, we are excited about the latter.”
The director also reassured fans that 2XKO is a live-service game, meaning new champions will be continuously added post-launch, keeping the experience fresh for players.
Confirmed Roster: Who’s In?
Through Alpha Lab 2 testing, several champions have already been confirmed for the launch lineup, including:
- Ahri
- Braum
- Darius
- Ekko
- Illaoi
- Jinx
- Yasuo
This accounts for seven of the 10 planned champions at launch, leaving three more yet to be revealed. Additionally, Katarina was previously shown in early footage when the game was still known as Project L, though it remains unclear if she will make the final cut.
Long Development, Small Roster
The news of a limited character selection is surprising, given 2XKO’s lengthy development cycle. The game was first teased at Evo 2019, with early concept footage appearing later that year. Originally, it seemed to be a 1v1 fighter, but Riot later shifted the focus to a 2v2 tag-based system.
This means that, unlike traditional fighting games, players will need to build teams of two champions, effectively making the roster feel even smaller at launch. This concern is heightened when comparing 2XKO to other tag-based fighters such as Dragon Ball FighterZ, which launched with 24 characters.
Post-Launch Plans & Monetization Questions
Riot Games has yet to clarify how post-launch characters will be introduced or whether players will need to purchase them. League of Legends is known for its free champion rotation model, but whether that system will be applied to 2XKO remains to be seen.
Additionally, the developers are banking on the Fuse system, which allows for diverse playstyles through solo and duo combinations, to help make the smaller roster feel more dynamic and engaging.
What’s Next for 2XKO?
With a late 2025 release window, Riot still has time to fine-tune 2XKO and potentially expand the starting lineup before launch. Fans will also be keeping a close eye on how the game handles its live-service updates, character additions, and monetization strategies.
For now, players will have to wait and see whether a smaller but polished roster is enough to satisfy both fighting game enthusiasts and League of Legends fans alike.
