Paradox Interactive made a surprising announcement regarding the future of its Cities: Skylines franchise today. The studio that began the series in 2015 and previously released Cities in Motion under Paradox, Colossal Order, is parting ways with the publisher. The massive change comes soon after Cities: Skylines II received its first promised expansion following over a year of delays.
The decision is being called a mutual one that will allow both companies to "pursue independent paths." Paradox has already chosen a new developer for the Cities: Skylines franchise, which it today announced to be Iceflake Studios.
"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," says Mariina Hallikainen, the CEO of Colossal Order. "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."
While originally announced for 2023 as a PC and console game, Cities: Skylines II is yet to receive its Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 ports. Paradox revealed earlier this year that the indefinitely released console version was not in a good enough condition to release.
Meanwhile, the PC version"s launch was marred with a massive number of performance issues and bugs. Following a backlash, Paradox decided to delay DLC and expansion development and get Colossal Order to fix the title on the platform.
Before it leaves Cities: Skylines II development, Colossal Order will be shipping a few more updates. This will include the addition of bikes, Old Town buildings, and more bug fixes, as well as the long-time-coming beta launch of the asset editor for modders.
"Taking the reins on a genre-leading franchise like Cities is an immense honor and a great responsibility. 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," said Lasse Liljedahl, Studio Manager of Iceflake Studios. "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.:"
The new studio will be taking over the game with the start of 2026, handling bug fixes, updates, and DLC. The missing console port is also being handled by the same team, but Paradox did not announce a new release window today either. Iceflake has previously worked with Paradox on releasing Surviving the Aftermath.