The Cities: Skylines franchise is getting a new developer. Publisher Paradox announced on Monday that it was moving long-time developer Colossal Order off of the franchise in what is said to be a “mutual decision.
In a joint statement on the Paradox forums, Colossal Order is moving on to build new projects and explore “new creative opportunities.”
“For over fifteen years, the Cities Series and our partnership with Paradox have been a defining part of our journey at Colossal Order,” Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen said. “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.
“We’re confident that the franchise will continue to thrive under Paradox’s leadership. As we move forward, we’re excited to channel our experience, creativity, and passion into new projects that align with our long-term vision.”
Meet Cities: Skylines New Developer
Taking over the franchise will be another Finnish studio, Iceflake Studios. One of Paradox’s internal management studios, Iceflake will take over “all existing and future development for Cities: Skylines II, including free updates for the current version, continuous work on the Editor and console editions, as well as future expansions and content packs. This means that Cities players will be able to look forward to new updates and content drops for many years.”
Colossal Order will continue on the game for a short time in order to implement in-progress updates like various bug fixes, the Bike Patch, Old Town buildings, and a Beta version of asset support for the game’s editor. After that, Iceflake will take over all development at the start of 2026.
“Taking the reins on a genre-leading franchise like Cities is an immense honor and a great responsibility,” Iceflake studio manager Lasse Liljedahl said. “There’s a huge, loyal community out there and I want to say to every member of that community that we will humbly carry this legacy with respect, together with all of you.
“Iceflake has the capacity and capability to get started. We have a decade worth of experience from making city building and management games. 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.”
When making the announcement, there was no update on the console version of Cities: Skylines 2. The version has been delayed multiple times, and there’s been no update on when players can expect it.
Insider Gaming has reached out to ask what this change means for the console version.
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Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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