Following a challenging launch of Cities: Skylines 2, Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order have decided to part ways. Paradox announced this decision on its forums, stating that both companies agreed to follow independent paths for the future of the Skylines franchise.
Development Transition to Iceflake Studios
Colossal Order will continue to manage the game's development, including the incoming Bike Patch and an asset support beta for the Editor, until 2026. At that point, all development responsibilities for Skylines 2 will transfer to Iceflake Studios, a Paradox-owned studio based in Tampere, Finland.
- Iceflake Studios, acquired by Paradox in 2020, will lead Skylines 2 from 2026.
- The studio is part of Paradox's internal management game team, founded in 2007.
- Iceflake's experience includes a decade in city-building and management games.
Challenges and Future Plans
The launch of Cities: Skylines 2 faced criticism due to optimization issues and missing features compared to its predecessor and expansions. Paradox had admitted challenges in the game's debut, with expansions delayed and iterative updates affecting its reputation.
Colossal Order’s CEO Mariina Hallikainen expressed enthusiasm for exploring new projects aligned with their vision. Meanwhile, Iceflake Studios is honored to take over the franchise. Studio manager Lasse Lijedahl emphasized their experience and intent to manage the transition smoothly, with future plans to be shared soon.
This move is part of Paradox's recent trend of restructuring development teams across multiple projects, as it aims for better alignment and output efficiency.
