Cities: Skylines 2 has changed hands. Colossal Order announced it will stop working on the sequel and has parted ways with Paradox Interactive. Paradox says Iceflake Studios will handle post-launch support and full development from the start of 2026.
“For over fifteen years, the Cities Series and our partnership with Paradox have been a defining part of our journey at Colossal Order. 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 want to thank everyone at Paradox for their trust and collaboration, and of course the community for the incredible support that has made Cities what it is today. 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.”
“Our partnership with Colossal Order is one of the longest-running relationships we’ve enjoyed here at Paradox. Four games, dozens of expansions, and a community of millions of Cities players; it’s remarkable how much we’ve achieved together. We have deep respect for the Colossal Order team and we look forward to seeing where they go from here. On our end, we’re eager to continue working for the passionate Cities: Skylines community and make sure to provide them with more content and new experiences.”
The original launch in October 2023 was widely criticized for technical issues and poor performance. Colossal Order patched the game, added DLSS support, and revised the Economy system. However, the title still sits at Mixed Reviews on Steam and currently averages roughly 16,000 concurrent players. For context, the first Cities: Skylines title averages about 13,000 simultaneous players. Colossal Order will deliver a handful of remaining updates before the handover. Planned items include the Bike Patch with bikes and Old Town buildings, general bug fixes, and a beta that enables basic asset mod support for the Editor before year-end. After that, Iceflake Studios will assume full responsibility for ongoing development starting in 2026.
Iceflake Studios is best known for smaller projects such as Surviving the Aftermath, Ice Lakes, and Race Arcade. That background suggests future work will likely focus on stability and minor content drops rather than a complete overhaul. Paradox has indicated it will continue to support the Cities community and release more content under its stewardship. Paradox also has DLC plans coming, and readers can see our recent look at a set of new bridges for the game in our preview of 20 new bridges ahead of the Bridges & Ports expansion.
Colossal Order says it will redirect its team toward new projects. The studio’s future slate is unclear. Whether Colossal Order will attempt a spiritual successor or shift to a different genre remains to be seen. What players should watch for next. Expect bug fixes and polish from the remaining Colossal Order patches, followed by incremental updates from Iceflake. Major fixes or sweeping changes would require resources and time, and the change of developer means the sequel’s long-term roadmap will be reexamined under a different team.
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