Colossal Order Points to Unfinished Unity Features as the Root Cause of Cities: Skylines 2 Struggles
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Former Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen shares that banking on unproven Unity features was the primary mistake behind the troubled development of Cities: Skylines 2.
Building a massive simulation game is always a high stakes technical gamble, but betting on technology that is still under construction can derail even the most experienced studios. In a recent interview with PC Gamer, reported by Rock Paper Shotgun, former Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen opened up about the rocky development behind Cities: Skylines 2. She explained that the studio heavily overestimated the engine capabilities early in the project. The team wanted to future proof the game for a potential decade long lifespan, which led them to build their plans around Unity features that were not yet finalized. When those anticipated tools failed to deliver as promised, the development team was forced to spend valuable time building custom replacements for missing or broken functionality, creating a massive hindrance that shadowed the project for years.
The fallout from those early technical missteps is a familiar story for players who have watched Cities: Skylines 2 struggle through performance issues, delayed DLC roadmaps, and shifting developer hands over the last three years. While Hallikainen was clear that the studio maintains a positive relationship with Unity and that all parties did their best under difficult circumstances, the situation highlights a broader industry problem. Developers are frequently caught between the pressure to adopt cutting edge tech and the reality of shipping complex cross platform experiences to modern audiences who expect seamless performance from day one.
Despite the turbulent road behind the sequel, Colossal Order is already looking ahead. Hallikainen confirmed that the studio has started work on a brand new simulation game for PC, once again utilizing the Unity engine. For the community, the hope is that these hard earned lessons will translate into a more grounded and stable development cycle this time around. You can read the original interview and reporting over at Rock Paper Shotgun.
Tags: Cities Skylines 2, Colossal Order, Unity, PC Gaming, Game Development
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun