"We have a lot more control" 2XKO's Tony Cannon speaks on server-based online, Vanguard anti-cheat, and more

Evo 2024 has wrapped up, and while thousands of attendees all turned up to play and spectate their favourite fighting game, lines were long to try out the latest build of one not-yet revealed. 2XKO, Riot Games’ upcoming fighter turned up at the show in a big way, and with it came new information. But one aspect remains interesting and largely untouched: the tech behind the game and why it matters.

Who better to talk about this than Tony Cannon. Creator for GGPO rollback netcode back in 2009, Tony has been somewhat of a striking figure in the pursuit of better online play in fighting games. These days, he’s working as 2XKO’s tech lead, and was gracious enough to sit down for a 10-minute chat on the Evo show floor.

First up, for a while now the 2XKO team has been eager to share that server-based rollback will be a major component of 2XKO. But what does that actually mean, and how does it differ from regular rollback?