Fighting games are one of those genres where the competitive scene – that brutal arena where the game’s best battle it out – is tied by the waist to the general gaming experience. This means that 2XKO, Riot Games’ upcoming fighter due to have its first public alpha test this August, will inevitably have tournaments hosted around the world. The question of how Riot Games intends to step into the competitive fighting game space is frankly something that will have a widespread effect on the player base.
It’s also a peculiar and intriguing topic. Riot Games has previously taken a very hands-on approach to managing the competitive spaces around games like League of Legends and Valorant, whereas as the fighting game scene has proven itself capable of building communities regardless of developer support. There’s a justified belief that the community itself knows best, and that the best hands to grow a grassroots competitive scene belong to the tournament organizers who’ve been doing it for decades, rather than those with corporate backgrounds.
Even so, Riot Games has proven eager to hop in. Not only has the team behind 2XKO hosted private meetings with players and tournament organizers, but they’ve also hired former pro-players and TOs to the development team. The game was first made available at Evo, rather than a Riot event. Right now at least, there appears to be a genuine desire to work alongside pre-existing fighting game infrastructure, a sentiment echoed widely by the team.
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