Riot Games has shared insights into how its development team selects and designs champions for its upcoming tag-team fighter 2XKO, with Knight ‘Arucelli’ Zhang detailing the collaborative process behind character selection.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Arucelli, who works on 2XKO’s concept team, outlined how the design, narrative and art teams collaborate to determine which League of Legends champions make it into the fighting game roster.
“First things first, we always start with DNA, which is when design, narrative and the art team get together to really talk through a champ and figure out what we really want them to be in 2XKO,” Arucelli explained.
The selection process involves multiple considerations beyond simply porting popular League champions. According to Arucelli, the team evaluates which fighting game archetypes champions could fit, what aesthetics or mechanics are missing from the existing roster, and what unexplored aspects of each champion they could showcase.
Once the direction is established, the concept team creates costumes that highlight each character’s planned moveset. Arucelli provided examples of how this translates to gameplay design: “A fast character might have accessories that fly out behind them when they dash, think Yasuo. Or even a heavier character might have a really strong focal point so they feel very grounded, think Illaoi.”
Balancing a Growing Roster
The reveal comes as 2XKO continues its closed beta testing phase, with nine characters currently available: Ahri, Blitzcrank, Braum, Darius, Ekko, Illaoi, Jinx, Yasuo and Vi. The game is set to launch with 10 playable characters later this year, with additional fighters planned as post-launch content.
The champion selection process ties into broader balancing challenges that Riot has been addressing. In a previous Esports Insider interview at Evo 2025, Josh ‘NerdJosh’ Jodoian, member of the Game Analysis and Live Balance team, revealed that 2XKO initially started as a small project with a limited roster. As the project grew in scope, the team began working on additional champions, though maintaining their ‘high quality bar’ has meant some characters remain in development.
The 2v2 format adds complexity to champion design, as each fighter must work effectively alongside any potential partner. This requirement means the development team must ensure all champions feel distinct while maintaining balanced gameplay across all possible team combinations.
From Concept to Gameplay
After the concept phase, Arucelli noted that character creation involves multiple specialist teams. “Once we find a concept that we really like, it gets put together by a wonderful team of character artists, animators, tech artists, and VFX artists so that it looks awesome in-game for you to play,” he stated.
The detailed process highlights Riot’s approach to adapting its MOBA roster for a fighting game format. With League of Legends featuring more than 170 champions, the selection and design process becomes crucial in determining which characters will translate effectively to 2XKO’s tag-team combat system.
While Katarina was shown in early footage, developers confirmed she won’t be part of the launch roster. The tenth launch character remains unannounced, though speculation continues within the fighting game community about which League champion will complete the initial lineup.
2XKO continues closed beta testing with no confirmed release date, though the full launch is expected sometime in 2025.
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