@LiquidHbox ↔ @CONEY ↔ @Friesofroyalty conversation

@LiquidHbox
hungrybox@LiquidHbox
3 views Aug 22, 2026 ~4 min read
Advertisement
@LiquidHbox
hungrybox@LiquidHbox
Potentially hot take incoming but idc.

I sincerely believe that if Riot had gone forward with the original plan of their platform fighter (Pool Party) and gone a Melele-esque route that game would be all over everyone’s timelines even today.

FGC saturation is a real thing, and there’s legit maybe only 4 relevant Platform Fighters played by a large number of people, dominated of course by Smash.

Famously, Riot saw what happened to MultiVersus and they got spooked. I want to remind everyone that MVS at one point had over 150,000 concurrent players on Steam, which is absolutely mind boggling to think about for a platform fighter.

But the failure of MVS was due to strange dev decisions - such as their decision to keep the game extremely floaty and slow after a 2 year hiatus - I don’t think this is a mistake Riot would have made, especially after seeing the good polish that 2XKO has.

I truly hope they give Pool Party one last good attempt because it really could have been the one.
@riotgames
Riot Games@riotgames
With a heavy heart, the @Play2XKO team shares an update about the future.
- Active development will end in December.
- The final content patch goes live in October.
- Servers stay online.
- In-game purchases made before August 20 will be refunded.

riot.com/4zvjsK0
Media image
@CONEY
Coney@CONEY
ABSOLUTELY not lmao

If it was too Melee it would've been the same, supposed to be "for everyone" but too hard & complicated (i.e. just play Melee)

If it was not enough Melee it would've been NASB2, a great game nobody plays

I believe the Great Fighting Game Experiment is over
@Friesofroyalty
Reeks LIZZOGANG@Friesofroyalty
Media image
@CONEY
Coney@CONEY
Do you truly think Riot Games was going to make Brawlhalla? Do you honestly in your heart believe that Riot, who aspired but ultimately failed in cultivating a 2D tag fighter for both beginner and expert, would have not only been able to ideate & execute on a novel gameplay loop in the same way Brawlhalla does, but also lucky enough to have caught lightning in a bottle the same way Brawlhalla has with its playerbase? Are you truly suggesting that Riot's folly was not dumping tens of millions of dollars and manhours into pursuing Ubisoft's pure dumb luck? Because I find your reply equal parts vapid and pedantic. You haven't said anything, you've merely posted a screenshot and expected me to do all of the thinking for both of us. I'm simply not that charitable. Imagine if we were having a discussion about fire hydrants. Most are red...but sometimes they can be yellow as well! We can all (hopefully) agree that they're usually in the same sort of shape, but can have slightly different proportions or valves, depending on their use. Then, without provocation, someone yawps out: "Fire hydrants are also purple, and shaped like a Y!" While this technically CAN be correct, and I've no doubt there's one such fire hydrant that exists somewhere on the planet that you could possibly produce a picture of (as you have Brawlhalla's baffling playercount), I hope you would agree this person has ultimately said nothing, and has contributed to the conversation in a way that is not only unnecessary, but actively detrimental. It's a waste of everyone's time. Yes, fire hydrants can indeed come in many different colors. However, for the purposes of this conversation, we have ostensibly agreed to bind ourselves to a social code wherein we respect each others intelligence enough to not simply blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, whether it be technically "correct" or not. Based on Riot's track record, I think expecting them to somehow jackpot on a wildly successful platform fighter out of nowhere is ludicrous, especially considering the place Brawlhalla inhabits within the larger platform fighter community. Riot's MO, historically at least, seems to involve taking understood genre conventions and tweaking them in ways that make players feel powerful, in control. LoL is smooth DotA, Valorant is smooth CS, etc. The whirling cogs of gameplay are greased with countless hours of thoughtful design and player testing. They're masters of efficiency and innovation, certainly but they are NOT inventors. They are artisans, but not auteurs. I don't believe Riot could ever accomplish such a task, nor should they ever be expected to, and frankly, I don't believe YOU believe they could or would either. To indignantly drop a Brawlhalla player count screenshot into my replies like a sopping newborn calf straight from its mothers womb is distasteful and unbecoming. What am I meant to do with this, I wonder? Why is it here? And the true tragedy of it all is that I don't think you know, either. Your fickle will is tainted with a perverse need to be seen, and heard, but not understood. Well, here's your vindication: That fire hydrant IS purple! Very cool.
Actions
What You Can Do
  • Export as PDF or Markdown
  • Batch Export to Notion
  • Bookmark & Highlight
  • LinkedIn & Instagram Carousel Maker
Create Free Account

Includes 7-day Premium trial

Advertisement