A new developer has been given the key to the city
The Cities: Skylines franchise will soon be under new management following a split between publisher Paradox Interactive and developer Colossal Order. The parting of ways was announced on the Paradox forums, with the publisher sharing that developer Iceflake Studios will take the helm next year.
The series has faced significant criticism in recent years following the ill-fated release of Skylines 2 in 2023. Currently sitting at mixed reviews on Steam, the game has been criticized for its myriad of bugs and generally unfinished state. Public backlash reached a boiling point after the release of the Beach Properties DLC, a barren paid add-on that was prioritized instead of fixing the base game — it got so bad that Colossal Order even released a public statement about it.
The switch will happen at the start of 2026, and the Colossal team will be contributing a few key things to Cities: Skylines 2 before parting ways. Bikes and Old Town buildings will finally be added to the game, as will a myriad of bug fixes — though the team wasn’t specific on what problems are being addressed — and beta implementation of asset support for the Editor, which will allow asset modding. Other hotly requested things, like a console port of the game, are still up in the air, but will be handled by Iceflake Studios.
The announcement states that the split between Colossal and Paradox was mutual, with the developer’s CEO, Mariina Hallikainen, stating that they’re “confident that the franchise will continue to thrive under Paradox’s leadership.” New developer Iceflake Studios isn’t new to the city building genre, previously releasing Surviving the Aftermath, a spiritual successor to Surviving Mars. Iceflake will be managing free updates and future expansions and content packs, with studio manager Lasse Liljedahl stating, “We see a strong foundation and so much potential waiting to be unleashed and I can’t wait to show you what we have planned for the next chapter of this incredible game.”
