1 articlesJust recently, publisher Paradox Interactive parted ways with Cities: Skylines developer Colossal Order after more than 15 years of partnership in creating the franchise.
This leaves the development of the current Cities: Skylines 2 in the hands of another studio, which is Iceflake Studios, a developer based in Finland.
In a recent statement that Paradox posted on their forums, they announced that the “decision was made thoughtfully and in the interest of both teams – ensuring the strongest possible future for the Cities: Skylines franchise.”
Colossal Order will continue to oversee the development of the game until sometime in 2026. Right after that, Iceflake Studios will then handle any further development.
Although Paradox didn’t state the reason for the switch, it seems that it’s tied to the rocky launch of Cities: Skylines back in 2023.
It can be recalled that the game came out in a rough shape when it launched. Fans of the series heavily criticized it at the time due to the presence of various performance issues.
Meanwhile, the console versions (which were supposed to release on the same day) got delayed with no release date in sight.
Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen stated in the same statement that their partnership with the publisher has been a defining part of their journey in the studio.
“When we set out to create Cities in Motion, we never imagined it would grow to become a cherished franchise with a passionate, loyal community of millions of players around the world,” says Hallikainen. “We’re confident that the franchise will continue to thrive under Paradox’s leadership,” she added.
Iceflake Studios Will Be the One to Handle Cities: Skylines 2’s Future Developments
Paradox Interactive’s deputy CEO stated that their partnership with Colossal Order has been one of the longest-running relationships that they have.
“We have deep respect for the Colossal Order team and we look forward to seeing where they go from here. On our end, we’re eager to continue working for the passionate Cities: Skylines community and make sure to provide them with more content and new experiences,” said Lilja.
With Paradox as their leader, Iceflake Studios will handle “all existing and future development for Cities: Skylines 2.”
Part of the transition also includes a statement that they’ll work on the console versions of the game.
If we take a look at Iceflake Studio’s website, you’ll notice that they’ve been mostly focused on mobile game development until recently.
However, Iceflake Studio’s manager Lasse Lijedahl assures fans that they have a “decade worth of experience from making city building and management games.”
As of now, there’s really no telling which direction the Cities: Skylines series will go. If anything, Iceflake Studios will have a lot of work to do considering the game is still a mess years later, though it did receive some updates that made it at least a bit more stable.
It’s worth noting that Cities: Skylines 2 is not the only game that’s been through troubled development lately. Titles like the recent Bloodlines 2 and the now indefinitely delayed Prison Architect 2 are just a few of them.
With that aside, the transfer of Cities: Skylines 2’s development means that fans will expect a transitional period as Iceflake Studios fills up the space that Colossal Order left behind.
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