Cities: Skylines 2 launches next week, following up a beloved predecessor that got a veritable pile of DLC that dramatically expanded the game's scope over the years. The sequel can't match that at launch, so the devs at Colossal Order set some particular priorities for what to include this time around.
"We absolutely cannot have ten years of Cities Skylines 1 content done" for the launch of the sequel, Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen says in the latest issue of PC Gamer. As a result, the studio decided to focus on "those things that we feel should have been in the original Cities: Skylines, but we didn't have the time or manpower."
Some of the features added in post-launch updates for the original game that'll be here on day one include natural disasters, day-night cycles, and snowy weather. One feature that the devs particularly wanted to expand on from the original is specialized industry. Hallikainen explains that "if the management part of [Skylines] is your interest, you can definitely go and see detailed information of how it affects [yield] when you support a certain production."
I've played a fair bit of the new game for our Cities: Skylines 2 review, and I've gotta say that despite the fresh start, the new game doesn't feel at all lacking in scope or content - though, certainly it too will be expanded by a whole lot of DLC and updates to come. If you're on the fence about the sequel, though, I've gotta say that it's really the performance updates you're going to want to watch for, because woof does this game run badly.
If you're waiting for Cities: Skylines 2 - or its updates - check out our list of the best city-building games to play in the meantime.
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