Riot Games conducts new round of layoffs across publishing teams

Christopher “MonteCristo” Mykles broke the news in the middle of the night between Wednesday, February 25, and Thursday, February 26, posting on X that “Riot quietly laid off more people yesterday.” “They have made no announcements, and I haven't seen any reporting as of yet,” the former commentator concluded in his message. The information was confirmed a few hours later by specialized outlet Game Developer, following a response from a Riot Games spokesperson.

In its article, the outlet reports that around twelve employees at the North American publisher were let go. The layoffs reportedly took place across several Riot Games offices worldwide and affected three publishing teams. The spokesperson also clarified that the cuts occurred alongside several “small team-by-team changes” involving a limited number of personnel, according to comments relayed by Game Developer.

This marks the second such announcement in February 2026 for Riot Games, which revealed on February 9 that it was parting ways with part of the team working on 2XKO, the fighting game launched just a few weeks earlier. According to a Riot Games spokesperson, who spoke to several outlets, including Game Developer and IGN, 80 employees were laid off, representing roughly half of the team working on the title.

Tom Cannon, executive producer at Riot Games, explained in the statement that while a strong core player base is present, overall traction remains insufficient: “The game has resonated with a passionate core audience, but overall momentum hasn’t reached the level needed to support a team of this size long term.”