Cities: Skylines II is getting a fresh start. After a rocky debut and slow progress on fixes, publisher Paradox Interactive is shifting ongoing development from Colossal Order to Iceflake Studios, the Finland-based team behind the post-apocalyptic builder Surviving the Aftermath.
The change follows a mixed reception to the 2023 sequel. While the original Cities: Skylines from 2015 became a benchmark for city-builders—boosted over time by a thriving mod scene and a steady flow of DLC—the sequel struggled to meet expectations. At the time of writing, it sits at a Metacritic score of 74 with a user score of 4.3/10, a snapshot of a community frustrated by performance hiccups, high system requirements relative to the visuals, crashes, and missing features that were discussed before launch.
Players also criticized the pacing of updates, noting that fixes arrived slowly while paid add-ons continued to appear. In response, Paradox Interactive is reassigning the project to Iceflake Studios, a team within its family of studios. The goal is to accelerate improvements while laying out a clearer path for both free updates and future DLC.
This isn’t an overnight handover. Colossal Order will remain involved for the next few months, focusing on performance patches and delivering promised features, including bicycles, before stepping back. After that, Iceflake Studios will take over development entirely, handling ongoing optimization, feature work, and content plans.
For fans, the move could mark a turning point. A dedicated team with fresh eyes may be able to tackle the technical issues that have lingered since launch, stabilize the experience across more PC configurations, and restore confidence with a more predictable update cadence.
Cities: Skylines has always thrived on deep systems and player creativity. If the transition delivers smoother performance, the missing features, and a transparent roadmap, Cities: Skylines II could still grow into the modern city-builder fans wanted from day one.
