Months after launch, Cities: Skylines 2 builders Colossal Order and writer Paradox Interactive have issued an apology over the poor state of the sport and its latest DLC, Seashore Properties, together with the dearth of updates to handle participant issues about efficiency and the dearth of content material.
“We see and perceive the frustration lots of you might have expressed after the discharge of Cities: Skylines II and the latest launch of Seashore Properties. We requested in your persistence and help, and also you’ve proven these. In return, we allow you to down. We thought we might make up for the shortcomings of the sport in a timeframe that was unrealistic, and rushed out a DLC that ought to not have been revealed in its present type. For all this, we’re really sorry,” Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen and Paradox Deputy CEO Mattias Lilja mentioned in a joint assertion published it to the Paradox forum on Thursday.
In response, the builders shall be issuing refunds for individuals who purchased Seashore Properties, and can change the pack to free DLC. Final Version gamers received’t obtain refunds, however they’ll get three further creator packs and three radio stations.
Cities: Skylines 2 launched in October 2023, and on the time of writing, it has over 2,300 “principally damaging” latest opinions on Steam, with a lot of the critiques noting poor PC efficiency. IGN reports that simply after launch, gamers famous how the sport struggled to play on PCs even with highly effective specs, similar to these with latest Nvidia graphics playing cards. When beneficial specs had been revealed forward of launch, it additionally raised quite a lot of questions from gamers. Whereas Cities: Skylines has at all times been a power-hungry sport, encouraging gamers to solely play it on PCs with newer elements was asking loads.
Regardless of the participant suggestions, Colossal Order and Paradox moved ahead with the discharge. “We nonetheless suppose for the long-term of the undertaking, releasing now could be one of the best ways ahead. We’re pleased with the distinctive gameplay and options in Cities: Skylines II, and we genuinely imagine that it presents an amazing expertise that you’ll take pleasure in,” a forum post read shortly before the game’s release.
![An image of a city in Cities: Skylines 2 from the Beach Properties DLC. There are homes on the ocean, with the sun setting on the horizon.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qxcvjIP6Xl9yQVRAbP-uXACPrSg=/0x0:1920x1080/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:1920x1080):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25407055/cities_skylines_2_beachfront.jpg)
Picture: Colossal Order/Paradox Interactive
Whereas Colossal Order launched weekly patches till November, it was then announced that the studio would nonetheless be engaged on efficiency enhancements and bug fixes however could be transferring its focus in the direction of DLC. The Seashore Properties paid DLC launched in March, bringing waterfront zoning to the sport, and it was met with harsh suggestions from the participant base. It has an “overwhelmingly damaging” ranking on Steam proper now, with gamers noting the dearth of significant additions and commenting that the builders ought to have targeted on fixing the principle sport earlier than beginning on paid expansions. The brand new assertion appears to handle these issues.
“Wanting forward, we additionally wish to make instant and significant adjustments in the best way we strategy the sport’s growth and our communication with you,” the assertion reads. “We’ll give attention to further free patches and sport updates within the coming months earlier than Colossal Order spends time on new paid content material,” including that the Bridge and Ports growth has been delayed to 2025.
Improvement points additionally led to the console editions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Collection X getting pushed to spring 2024, and the brand new assertion introduced that the delay has been prolonged to October 2024.