Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order are ending their partnership, bringing to an end a collaboration that lasted over 10 years in the gaming industry. Both companies have announced they will move forward separately. This is a big change for the popular city-building series. Paradox will transfer the development of Cities: Skylines II to its in-house team, Iceflake Studios. Iceflake Studios will now handle all future updates and development for the game.
The future with a new Cities: Skylines II Developer
The announcement on the Paradox Interactive forum said the decision was made “thoughtfully and in the interest of both teams” to secure the “strongest possible future” for the series. Colossal Order, the studio responsible for the franchise since the beginning, will make a few final changes before handing it over completely.
The last things to do are the “Bike Patch,” which adds bikes to the game, buildings in Old Town, and a beta version of asset support for the Editor before the end of the year. Iceflake Studios will be the new developer for Cities: Skylines II starting in 2026. They will be responsible for all free updates, the long-awaited console versions, and new expansions.
The change comes after a very rough time for the sequel. PC Gamer says that Cities: Skylines II launched in 2023 with significant performance issues and missing features, and its reputation has been difficult to recover since then. Eurogamer also reported delays to the console versions and the absence of a confirmed release date.
Both Colossal Order and Paradox have said they are sure the change will go smoothly. Mariina Hallikainen, the CEO of Colossal Order, said that the studio is “excited to channel our experience, creativity, and passion into new projects.” Lasse Liljedahl, the manager of Iceflake Studios, said that taking over the franchise was a “huge honor and a great responsibility.” He promised the community that the studio would respect the legacy.
This means that players still have a long way to go in Cities: Skylines II. Iceflake Studios, the new developer of Cities: Skylines II, has promised to support the game for years to come. People in the community will be watching closely to see how this new Cities: Skylines II developer changes the next part of their favorite city-building game.
