Eight Champions Kickoff for 2XKO Lineup

A critical view on why 2XKO chose eight League of Legends champions for launch and what it signals for future character choices.

Eight Champions Kickoff for 2XKO Lineup

2XKO will launch a closed beta for PC this September with an initial eight characters drawn from League of Legends. The team says the lineup is chosen to support a healthy meta, offering a mix of playstyles and archetypes. In interviews at Evo 2025, executive producer Tom Cannon and game director Shaun Rivera explained that early work focused on building a solid core and managing tech and animation demands. They also signaled that more offbeat picks will arrive later as the roster grows.

Popularity and recognizability guided the choice of champions, but the devs say there will be surprises as development continues. The plan is to ensure every character can fight on their own and feel powerful, not just serve as a supporting role. Rivera hints at future directions, including a push for a distinct Ionian fighting style. The exchange also touches on fan reactions and the risk of backlash from players who crave rarer LoL champions, underscoring the tension between mass appeal and novelty as the game moves toward launch.

The eight-champion launch is a deliberate anchor. It leans on familiar faces to draw in fighting game fans who may not know LoL deeply, while signaling room for future experimentation. Yet the reliance on poster-child champs invites a debate about depth versus accessibility—will the early roster limit the game’s long-term identity or set up a sustainable path for growth? The developers describe a method that blends playstyle variety with a clear goal to keep each fighter self-sufficient, a balance that will be tested as more offbeat picks enter the roster.

Looking ahead, the team stresses that more wacky and monster-like characters will arrive after the beta. That promise risks alienating players who wanted more obscure LoL picks from the outset, but it also opens the door to a distinct fighting game personality that could stand out in a crowded field. The discussion around Ionian aesthetics and signature moves hints at a broader vision, one that could redefine how League IP translates into a fighting game.

Highlights

The roster story is just beginning.