The name Project L was always going to be a placeholder, and today, Riot Games revealed the full name of its League of Legends fighting game: 2XKO. I have already mistyped it three times.
Revealed in a big push this morning, the shorter name is the new moniker for Riot’s two-on-two tag fighter featuring the cast of its MOBA League of Legends. Alongside the name reveal, we got some proper gameplay footage of its cast, including Illaoi, who had been confirmed but not shown off as much as Ahri, Ekko, or the rest.
Executive producer Tom Cannon also shared an update on the road ahead for the newly minted 2XKO. The game will make appearances at shows throughout this year, including Evo Japan in April. Cannon also hints at the possibility of “at-home” playtesting later this year, though those plans seem less set in stone.
Lastly, Riot is targeting a 2025 launch for 2XKO, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. There’s a sign-up live on the 2XKO site right now, if you want to opt into the chance of an at-home session.
What’s in a name?
Honestly, I was always a fan of Project L as a moniker for this fighting game. Sure, it sounds in-progress, but I think that’s fine. I’m scratching my head a bit more at this shorter but slightly unwieldy abbreviation.
Hopefully it doesn’t put a roadblock on the on-ramp, because 2XKO is looking pretty darn good. The two-on-two tag fighter had a great showing at last year’s Evo in Las Vegas with a streaming showcase, and the possibility space of putting these traditionally MOBA heroes in a fighting game space is exciting.
We’ll be waiting until at least later in the year for more to see this game though, and into 2025 for a full launch.
