Cities: Skylines Development Moves to Iceflake Studios as Colossal Order Steps Away

In a significant announcement for the Cities: Skylines franchise, publishers Paradox Interactive and original developers Colossal Order have mutually agreed to part ways after more than a decade of collaboration. This decision is aimed at securing the strongest possible future for the city-builder series, with development now moving entirely under Paradox’s wing.

A New Chapter for Cities: Skylines II

The franchise development will now be handled by Iceflake Studios, an internal management game studio within Paradox Interactive, based in Finland. They are already focused on Cities: Skylines II.

Iceflake Studios will take over all future work, including:

• All existing and future development for Cities: Skylines II.
• Free updates, continuous work on the Editor, and console editions.
• Future expansions and content packs.

This move ensures that the Cities: Skylines community can look forward to new content for many years.

“Taking the reins on a genre-leading franchise like Cities is an immense honour and a great responsibility. There’s a huge, loyal community out there and I want to say to every member of that community that we will humbly carry this legacy with respect, together with all of you… We see a strong foundation and so much potential waiting to be unleashed and I can’t wait to show you what we have planned for the next chapter of this incredible game.”

— Lasse Liljedahl, Studio Manager of Iceflake Studios

The Founders’ Farewell

Both companies expressed deep appreciation for their long-running partnership. Colossal Order is now looking forward to channelling its experience into new, creative projects.

“We’re confident that the franchise will continue to thrive under Paradox’s leadership. As we move forward, we’re excited to channel our experience, creativity, and passion into new projects that align with our long-term vision.”

— Mariina Hallikainen, CEO of Colossal Order

Before their departure at the start of 2026, Colossal Order will implement a few final updates, including the highly anticipated Bike Patch, which introduces bikes and general game improvements, along with a Beta implementation for asset mod support in the Editor.

What We Think

Although it’s unfortunate to see such a long partnership end with the original creators, this mutual split seems positive for the franchise’s longevity. I mean, Colossal Order wasn’t really the best fit for something as huge as Cities: Skylines 2. It’s taken them nearly 2 years to get the game into a playable shape and release the first DLC. Moving development to the internal, experienced Iceflake Studios under Paradox’s leadership should, hopefully, provide a streamlined path for future content. We’re hopeful this change will bring new energy and continued support for the dedicated player base of Cities: Skylines II.

Tell Me More

Iceflake Studios will be introducing themselves and sharing their concrete plans for the future of the game in the coming weeks. If you want to read their full statement for yourselves, you can do so here.