Riot explains how 2XKO got its name

It’s been a few months since Project L, the League of Legends fighting game, changed its name to 2XKO, and players are still wondering why that name changed.

The announcement happened back in February 2024, when Riot revealed the new name, confirmed a playtest and a release date of 2025, and a handful of new details. The name, 2XKO, is a little different than any other League-based game, so when Dot Esports had a chance to talk to Shaun Rivera, the game director, at Evo on July 21, we had to ask what went into the decision-making.

“Honestly, we just wanted something super simple, kind of fun, very different,” Rivera told Dot Esports, explaining why they chose 2XKO as the name. “Project L was cool as a temp name,” he added, but not something that would ever stick around.

“I’ve also heard a lot of people ask, ‘Hey, why isn’t it like Legends of Fighters’ or a League-themed name? Honestly, we just wanted to make it clear that we’re making this for the FGC; it’s a fighting game.” Rivera continued. “It’s a team game; you’ve got to knock both characters out. And also, I think it’d be worse if there was no reaction [to the name]. At least people are thinking about it, and when people see the name, they know exactly what it is.”

Rivera was clear that the game’s name needed to reflect what it was about, and having something generic like Legends of Fighters or a different approach to the game was never on the team’s mind. It was about making a good fighting game first that so happened to use the League IP and its characters.

It was never about following trends or using the League IP. It was about making the name stick out and exist as its own thing.