Colossal Order, the company behind the city-building game Cities: Skylines II, has apologized to players for the game’s rocky launch and the underwhelming Beach Properties DLC. In a forum message to the community, CEO Mariina Hallikainen and Deputy CEO Mattias Lilja from Paradox Interactive expressed regret and said they wanted to improve their relationship with players.
The developers have admitted that they hurried the release of Cities: Skylines II in an incomplete state and that the initial paid DLC, Beach Properties, did not meet player expectations. In response, Colossal Order is offering the Beach Properties DLC for free to all players. Furthermore, refunds will be provided to those who bought the DLC, where applicable.
We knew that they had released the game in an incomplete state already because they had said so before release. They stated that it would have been better to release it as is than to take a bit to fix it. As they said way back when it was released, “We wanted to respect the announced release date and allow people to start playing the game.” Now they’re seeing that releasing and asking people to pay for games that aren’t ready yet is bad.
Players who purchased the Ultimate Edition of the game, including the Beach Properties DLC, will not receive a partial refund due to how the DLC was distributed. However, Colossal Order aims to compensate Ultimate Edition owners by providing them with a package of content. This package comprises 3 Creator Packs and 3 Radio Stations, with a combined value of $39.99.
For a developer who only had a successful game because EA ruined Sim City, they’re really not doing well with this sequel. It sounds like someone else can come in and take this spot.
The developer said they are now focusing on improving the base game through free patches and updates and enhancing modding tools. The Bridges & Ports Expansion, previously announced, has been delayed to 2025. This change in approach aims to address current issues and regain trust with the player base before introducing new paid content.
Colossal Order also wants to be more open and involve the community more. They will create a group of players to work with the developers and talk about the game’s plans for this year.
The developer has finally addressed the pending console release of Cities: Skylines II. Optimization challenges have caused significant delays, but the team is hopeful that an April build will show enough progress to move toward an October release. A separate team is developing the console version so it won’t divert resources from core game improvements. It’s all just an apology with promises, but maybe this means a better game in the future.
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