Cities: Skylines II Development Transferred to Iceflake Studios After Troubled Launch
By
jhy
6mo ago· 6 min readenInsight
85/100
Golden Brown
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Summary
The article analyzes the troubled launch of Cities: Skylines II, examining why the sequel stumbled despite the success of the original 2015 game. It explores the business dynamics between developer Colossal Order and publisher Paradox Interactive, and discusses the recent decision to transfer development to Iceflake Studios. The piece examines technical issues, business missteps, and whether the sequel can recover from its rocky start, while also providing historical context about the series' origins following the failure of Maxis' SimCity reboot.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledCities: Skylines (2015) emerged from the rubble of Maxis' SimCity reboot, combining approachable city-planning mechanics with modding openness.
Colossal Order, based in Tampere, and Paradox kept the mechanics approachable and let mods flow through Steam Workshop.
The first game sold well, gained dozens of expansions and a massive mod scene.
Paradox splits from Colossal Order and hands Cities: Skylines II to Iceflake.
Can the sequel recover from its technical and business missteps?
Paradox splits from Colossal Order and hands Cities: Skylines II to Iceflake. Can the sequel recover from its technical and business missteps?
