The CEO of Cities Skylines 2 developer Colossal Order tells some fans of the strategy sim that it “might just not be for you,” in response to feedback and concerns regarding gameplay and how CS2 handles its real-time simulation. Since launch, Cities Skylines 2 has faced technical and performance issues, alongside other problems relating to traffic and pedestrian AI. Colossal Order is still in the process of deploying patches, and is planning to launch the official platform for mods in early 2024. Mariina Hallikainen, the co-founder and CEO of the Cities 2 developer, also known by the online handle ‘co_martsu,’ says the current “overall gameplay experience” is what Colossal Order “aimed for.”
Cities Skylines 2 mods are already helping to address some of the finer issues with gameplay in the city building game, as Colossal Order confirms that the official Cities Skylines 2 editor for assets, maps, and all user-made material will arrive in “early 2024.” Some players however share feedback and complaints regarding the current state of CS2, especially the in-game simulation system, which handles citizen behavior, traffic, garbage, and some aspects of the economy. In response, Hallikainen says that, in some cases, Cities Skylines 2 “might just not be for you.”
“When it comes to the gameplay and simulation we set goals for the game and we have reached those goals,” Hallikainen says. “Surely there are issues that we’re looking into and fixing bugs, but the overall gameplay experience is what we aimed for. Cities Skylines 2 is the better game compared to the first one. If you dislike the simulation, this game just might not be for you. If there is a bug that ruins it for you there’s a good chance it’s fixed sometime in the future.
“Games are a subjective experience and it is impossible to please everyone. There’s a bug-fixing patch on its way soon however, so hopefully we’ll be able to resolve at least some of the issues that may be a deal breaker for some.”
Hallikainen explains that the technical performance of Cities Skylines 2 is still not at a standard satisfactory to Colossal Order and that the studio is “disappointed” that modding support has not yet been made available.
“For clarity, the above is for the simulation and gameplay,” Hallikainen says. “The performance is not where we want it to be and we are hard at work to improve it. This is also the reason the consoles were delayed. The modding support is an important part of a Colossal Order game, so it will also be rolling out as soon as possible. We are disappointed we couldn’t make these aspects of the game ready for you on time, but we refuse to give up. The missing features and platforms will be available in the upcoming months.”
Earlier this week, the original Cities Skylines had a higher player count on Steam than Cities Skylines 2. Meanwhile, Colossal Order has opened sign ups to test a pre-release version of the CS2 editor.
You can see everything that’s coming in the future of CS2 with our full guide to all the Cities Skylines 2 DLC. If you’re having trouble with employment rates, the economy, and more, we have everything you need to know about Cities Skylines 2 roads, which can make a huge difference.
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