Cities: Skylines 2 developer Colossal Order confirmed that it will be offering refunds to people who purchased the Beach Properties DLC, adding more content to the Ultimate Edition version of the game, delaying the launch of Cities: Skylines 2’s console ports and its first expansion, and focusing on free updates and patches in the short term.
It did so while making a massive apology in the wake of the PC city-builder’s messy launch and first DLC release. When Cities: Skylines 2 initially released last October, it was very unpolished and felt a bit inferior to the original Cities: Skylines. At the time, I wrote, “It’s OK to wait until the game is a little more stable and has as vibrant a community as its predecessor.” Although Colossal Order has been patching the game, it reignited ire against the city-builder in March by releasing a $10 Beach Properties DLC, an underwhelming asset pack that didn’t even add beaches to the game.
The developers of Cities: Skylines 2 recognized some significant changes were required and posted an apology on publisher Paradox Interactive’s forums. It admitted that Beach Properties was “rushed out” and “should not have been published in its current form,” so it is offering refunds to those who purchased the DLC. Unfortunately, the developers can’t refund frustrated Cities: Skylines 2 Ultimate Edition owners; to make up for that, it’s promising to add three Creator Packs and three Radio Stations to the content that the Ultimate Edition includes, which it values at $40.
Colossal Order is taking this as a wake-up call to adjust its post-launch development. The studio “will focus on additional free patches and game updates in the coming months,” and will create a group of player representatives to advise on future content. These shifts will result in some delays. Cities: Skylines 2 was supposed to get a Bridges and Ports expansion this year, but that has been pushed to 2025. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Cities: Skylines 2 also won’t be released this spring as originally promised; Colossal Order is now targeting a launch sometime around October if the development goes smoothly.
It looks like 2024 will be the year where Colossal Order tries to correct course with Cities: Skylines 2 rather than one where it greatly expands the game with new content via DLC and expansions.
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