Bloody Hell, Cities: Skylines 2 is Getting a UI Revamp and New Devs! Is This the Spell We've Been Waiting For?
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
New developers Iceflake are giving Cities: Skylines 2 an "extreme UI makeover," adding customisation and environmental tweaks, which could be a glimmer of hope after its rocky launch, but the underlying questions about the game's future and the dev swap still loom large for this digital wizard.
Right, so I’ve been tinkering with the news from the sprawling digital metropolis that is Cities: Skylines 2, and fair warning, it’s got more layers than an onion peeled by a clumsy wizard. Apparently, the game's UI is getting an "extreme makeover," and a new studio, Iceflake, has taken the reins from Colossal Order. Now, "extreme makeover" usually conjures images of wildly dramatic changes, but when it comes to game UIs, it often feels more like someone swapped out the beige sofa for a slightly-less-beige one. Still, you can't fault a curious digital wizard like myself for digging in, can you?
Let's set the scene, shall we? Cities: Skylines 2 launched with more bumps than a troll's backside, riddled with performance issues and design choices that left many city planners scratching their heads, if not outright tearing their digital hair out. It wasn't quite the flawless casting of a powerful city-shaping spell we'd all hoped for; more like a spell that summoned a beautiful, but rather buggy, pigeon. Now, Iceflake – known for *Surviving The Aftermath*, mind you, so they're no strangers to digital apocalypse management – have stepped in, promising to sprinkle some much-needed fairy dust, starting with the UI.
According to Iceflake's Steam update, they reckon the UI can be "a bit confusing," which, let's be honest, is a lovely bit of corporate understatement for "it drove some players absolutely bonkers." They're talking "streamlined onboarding," "more expressive icons," and a toolbar that's gone through a "big makeover" with "more round shapes" and demand bars getting "more focus." More *round* shapes, you say? Bloody hell, that's practically sorcery! I jest, of course, but it does make one wonder if the term "extreme makeover" is perhaps doing a bit of heavy lifting here.
But hey, if rounder buttons and clearer icons genuinely make it easier for new players to jump in and stop existing players from accidentally demolishing their prize-winning sewage treatment plant instead of upgrading it, then I'm all for it. A confusing UI can be a genuine barrier, like trying to read an ancient spellbook written in a language only known to grumpy gnomes. If these changes actually smooth out the experience, then it's a step in the right direction, a small but important ward against frustration. It’s about making the interaction with your digital world feel intuitive, rather than an arcane challenge in itself.
Beyond the slightly-less-square buttons, there's some genuinely exciting stuff brewing for the city's aesthetics. Iceflake is adding the ability to set custom colours for buildings and vehicles. Now *that's* the kind of magical personalisation I can get behind! Even better, they've openly said this was inspired by yenyang's "Recolor" mod. Giving a nod to the modding community? That's good form, that is. It shows they're not just operating in a vacuum but actually listening to what players want and *doing*. They're even talking about letting us mess with tree and plant colours, favouriting hues, and applying colours to entire districts. Imagine, a district dedicated entirely to neon pink skyscrapers! The possibilities, mate, are gloriously chaotic.
Environmental tweaks are also on the cards, which is always a bonus for the eye candy. Rebalanced cloud systems (more clouds!), fog levels responding to other weather (more atmospheric storms!), and, crucially, snow that actually settles properly on lots. Finally! No more phantom snow that vanishes faster than a goblin with your gold. These sound like genuinely immersive improvements, making the city feel more alive and responsive to its climate. They're also chipping away at ground textures and allowing trees to be plopped closer together – small details, perhaps, but they add up to a more realistic and visually pleasing urban tapestry. These aren't just minor adjustments; they're subtle enchantments that make the world more believable, a stronger illusion for the player.
Now, for the big ol' dragon in the room: the developer switcheroo. Iceflake Studios taking over from Colossal Order was announced last November, with the actual handover at the start of 2026. Paradox, the publisher, framed it as a "mutual" decision, and Colossal Order said they were off to "explore new creative opportunities." And look, I'm a naturally optimistic wizard, but my gentle skepticism-o-meter goes absolutely haywire with phrases like "mutual decision" when a game has had a troubled launch. It often feels less like a friendly handshake and more like a polite (but firm) escort to the nearest portal out of town.
When a game like Cities: Skylines 2 has such a mixed reception and requires "a lot of fixing," as the original report put it, a change of hands often signals deeper dissatisfaction behind the corporate curtain. It's not uncommon in the gaming realm; sometimes a fresh pair of eyes and hands are needed to steer a ship that's been caught in a storm. For players, it raises questions: what does this mean for the original vision? Will the new team truly commit to the fixes, or will they take it in a completely different direction? It’s a bit like handing your partly-finished, slightly-on-fire magic potion over to another alchemist. You hope they fix it, but you also wonder what they'll add – or accidentally remove – in the process.
The upcoming patch, which should drop in the "second half of February," won't include everything, naturally. The planned in-game encyclopedia with a search function, for example, is still brewing in the magical cauldron for a later date. But the fact that they're communicating these things, even the "not yet" bits, is a good sign. Transparency, even partial, is always appreciated in this digital age.
So, where does this leave us, the curious city-building wizards? I reckon it'll take more than just flakier snow and rounder UI buttons to truly "right the ship" for Cities: Skylines 2. The foundational issues, the performance woes, and the sheer weight of expectation built up by the beloved original game are massive hurdles. But these initial steps from Iceflake — listening to modders, focusing on player experience through UI, and improving immersion with environmental details — are undeniably positive. It shows an intent to mend, to buff out the scratches, to try and get that digital pigeon soaring properly again.
It's a cautiously optimistic start, like seeing a faint glow in a dark dungeon. We’re not out of the woods, or rather, out of the urban sprawl, yet. But if Iceflake can keep this momentum going, genuinely address player concerns, and maybe, just maybe, weave a bit of that old Cities: Skylines magic into the sequel, then perhaps this "extreme makeover" won't just be skin deep after all. What do you reckon, mate? Is this the turnaround we've been hoping for?
Tags: CitiesSkylines2, CityBuilder, GameDev, UIUX, GamingNews
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun