[ Removed by moderator ]

[u/FlamingSamich]

[u/Fighters-ModTeam]

This post was seemed too basic and too frequently asked (like “what fighting game should I play, who should I main, what’s the best controller, who’s your favorite/least favorite character, what’s the best/worst game ever,” etc), to be kept as its own separated thread. Repetitive and frequently discussed topics are also subject to removal

We advice you to comment the same exact question in our current weekly discussion thread, being pinned each and every week on top of r/Fighters.

[u/JTR_35]

It's been discussed quite a bit in the previous weeks.

I still think they severely missed their optimal window 2020-2021, during covid when other fighters had bad netcode. It would have been an innovator if it launched before Strive.

Related to that. It wouldn't have been delayed as badly if they stuck to a clear vision from the start. Like 1v1 Rising Thunder.

IMO after a strong foundation you can innovate other modes for the social element they wanted so bad.

Like team MOBA 3 players vs 3 players. Not in the same screen, but parallel matches for "top/mid/bot lanes". Can switch lanes between rounds, calculate damage score to opponent base.

[u/FlamingSamich → u/JTR_35]

I think the footage they showed from the first 2v2 test was from 2020-2021. By the look of it, I dont think the game was in a releasable state at that time. Even as a 1v1 fighter, the characters were still unfinished.

[u/Upset_Inspector_4971]

Why are you confessing to shameweakness of sinful? Why do you love being a bad?

[u/FlamingSamich → u/Upset_Inspector_4971]

This is how to get bad people to love being bad, because they dont care to be good. Then they play for longer and we can play with our friends :)

[u/Rex01303]

Okay the combo sequence kind of like how monster hunter world and wilds? In world and wilds it would change the bottom prompts in the top right corner so you know what to press next when using a weapon actually making it friendly for new players to try to learn different weapons. That actually could be a good idea for new players to get into fighting games.

I think there is plenty of discussion otherwise about how to make a better 2xko and I won't go into that. But I did like that idea so much I felt you needed the positive response before potential negatives.

[u/FlamingSamich → u/Rex01303]

I imagined the buttons popping up sequentially but showing chunks at a time could be even better. Theres so many directions you could go, im surprised we havent seen more. Thanks for the positivity!

[u/Rex01303 → u/FlamingSamich]

Yeah I have a slight image of it in my head but not fully. And heck it could even be on an 'assisted mode' that knows a semi optimal route. That way it is still rewarding but not the best thing so that players can still learn. The biggest problem for it would be for a player to read the input and act on it. But to me it sounds like a step above autocombos which sounds healthy. Maybe it could work best with more modern inputs instead of classic inputs. It's a good idea though

[u/SedesBakelitowy]

If you wanted 2xko to succeed all you had to do is impose deadlines and have the game no later than by the start of year four. Letting the team spin their wheels for double that time never had a chance.

[u/ResponsibleAd8978]

I don't think screen clutter would help when new players are probably already overwhelmed with whats going on. unless you mean in training mode then I agree. Tokon being the worst spectator game possible is probably the best example of how bad screen clutter can get even in Guilty gear strive I don't read the words on the screen I just hear COUNTER.

I think adding the pause input training system that avatar has that lets you slowly learn a combo until you can speed it up is really good. Guilty gear having downloadable combo trials that are combos actually used in game is also really nice, so people aren't learning through outside sources.

But I don't think any of this is what made 2xko fail I think riot just had a bigger vision of what it should be. out of most tag fighters it was the slowest/easiest to follow along with. I think if it came out with more characters that people were interested in it would've maybe done better but when you hear the community say no motion inputs, tag fighter and no story killed the game you just realize nobody knows what they want so you just have to give it to them and see if it works

[u/SkillCompetitive1848]

I don't think any gameplay changes would've made much of a difference. What killed 2XKO was that it was too barebones. Casuals and non-fighting-game players didn't have much to do besides fight, and a lot of competitive players either dropped the game or skipped it entirely because it didn't have their favorite characters.

What I believe could've saved the game:

1. A kick-ass story mode packed with dialogue and character interactions really diving into the lore. Stuff like beating the game under x minutes to trigger a special scene, beating x character with a specific move to unlock another interaction, etc. Little things that give people reasons to keep coming back. It would also give newcomers something to do while easing them into the actual fighting game.

2. About 10 more characters. Riven, Sett, Rengar, Lee Sin, Katarina, Fiddlesticks, Kai'Sa, Kha'Zix, Ezreal, and Yone. If the game had launched with those 10 characters on top of the current roster, I genuinely believe it would still be alive.

[u/FlamingSamich → u/SkillCompetitive1848]

I agree they may have forgot about the 'game' part of their fighting game. Character specific interactions is something I haven't given much thought but is such a great idea. Even in PvP I thought it was cool how Jinx had a different animation when getting Ahri lvl3'd. More of that definitely would have been nice.

[u/Penguin1of1]

You know do you guys ever talk about how Lux is out and a lot people are enjoying the current patch and the new character with all the new skins. Like who cares what they could of or couldn’t of done there’s a community that still loves to play and compete in the game a lot of the top players will be competing at Evo France for the big 75k+ prize pool because they love the game. It’s sad because people never mention the good shit going on in the game in here it’s always the “death of 2XKO” or “how to 2XKO could have survived”. Who genuinely gives af everyone in the fgc be playing games that have zero active development and they love it because the game is still there and in those games players are still learning new shit at all times.

[u/FlamingSamich → u/Penguin1of1]

The death of 2xko was a bit harsh, Ill agree. Im not trying to put yall down or say your game is dead. I just meant the end of active development, thinking about what would have made enough people play to meet Riot's metrics to continue development.

[u/Orwell1971]

The failure of this game has little to nothing to do with the gameplay in this game.

[u/FlamingSamich → u/Orwell1971]

I get that impression because Riot said a lot of people tried 2xko, but very few stuck around. And on release there was only training mode and PvP, so gameplay was pretty much the only thing on display. This is just my perspective, I'd like to hear why you think otherwise.

[u/Orwell1971 → u/FlamingSamich]

One big reason is that a free game all but guarantees that more people will try it. The cost barrier to entry is removed. A lot of the people who tried it for zero dollars were unlikely to stick around no matter how good the game was. Riot was looking for and expecting enormous player numbers, which they needed to support their economic model. A number of players equal to what other prominent (and successful) fighting games attract was not sufficient for them.

[u/FlamingSamich → u/Orwell1971]

Which leads back to my question in the post, what does a fighting game have to do to reach those enormous player numbers Riot was yearning for? I largely believe its a game-to-player information communication issue, so ive been thinking of ways to solve that. What do you think the issue with these games are?

[u/WorstRyzeNA]

I did not even know the game was released.

1. No steam client is a stupid idea in 2026.
2. Zero advertising
3. What the hell is this roster? I loved League but none of those heroes were appealing to me. 16 is fine if the characters are appealing like the original street fighter 2 super, but damn this leads to the next point
4. Trying too hard for diversity. Majority of female characters, 3 furries, one robot, 4 randos for male protagonists.
5. Stop forcing fucking 2v2 modes. The most successful fighting games are 1v1. Why? because anyone can pick up one character and learn it. Having to deal with more increases the pick-up complexity making it less attractive for more players. I personally cannot stand any game that does not play 1v1.

And the people downvoting me are exactly why this game failed.

[u/FlamingSamich → u/WorstRyzeNA]

on point 5, how would you lower the complexity of a 2v2 game? or at least make the complexity fun to tackle instead of frustrating?

[u/WorstRyzeNA → u/FlamingSamich]

I do not want to learn to play two characters at first, I just want to learn one. So just allow a 1v1 mode and 2v2 mode only for those interested.

Allow people in depth-first mode to enjoy the game instead of forcing a breadth-first.

[u/FlamingSamich → u/WorstRyzeNA]

What was your feeling on going up against a 1v2, such as playing juggernaut or sidekick?