Colossal Order and Paradox Interactive just sent shockwaves throughout the Cities: Skylines community when the next-gen sequel to the near-decade old city builder was recently revealed. Though a proper release date ahs yet to be announced, the two companies have now outlined the plans to sunset the original Cities: Skylines with the final rollout of new content coming in 2023.
Sunset over the skyline
In the eight years since Cities: Skylines originally hit the market, Colossal Order and Paradox Interactive have released a wide variety of additional content, coming to a total of 50 pieces in all. This ranges from small additions like new radio stations, to major expansions that added new gameplay elements. The latest, as of the time of publication, is the Financial Districts expansion.
Cities: Skylines now formally enters its twilight phase. The plan from its creators is to give it a respectful send off with three more Content Creator Packs and Radio Stations that will be released in a matter of days — March 22, to be exact. Finally, a second set of new content packs along with what’s being described as a “mini expansion” from Colossal Order will then be rolled out in May. Beyond this, the team will “continue general support for Cities: Skylines through the rest of the year,” the devs wrote via a press release.
Screenshot by PC Invasion
Mariina Hallikainen, the CEO of Colossal Order, stated in that same press release that Cities: Skylines players “have a lot to be excited about in the coming months with a lot of free content expanding upon existing content and a final expansion from us at Colossal Order.”
Final content coming to Cities: Skylines in 2023
The three aforementioned forthcoming Content Creator Packs will be: Africa in Miniature by “Prince Set,” Sports Venues by “BadPeanut,” and Shopping Malls by “KingLeno.” Africa in Miniature is a pack that features 28 new buildings that show off the “exceptionally diverse architecture, vibrant colors, and unique urban mix” of African culture.
The Sports Venues pack will allow the citizens of a players’ virtual settlement to enjoy different kinds of sports, and will even feature “realistic animation” that spans across football (soccer), baseball, and American football. There’s also the option to add smaller, community sports parks.
The Shopping Malls pack features 60 assets that range from shopping plazas, to department stores and more.
The three additional radio stations include the JADIA Radio Station (Just Another Day in Africa), ’80s Movie Tunes, and Pop-Punk Radio.
Colossal Order’s next free content update is the Hubs and Transport update which is set to make improvements to the core functionality of the transport system within Cities: Skylines. It will also bring enhancements to the After Dark, Snowfall, Natural Disasters, and Mass Transit paid expansions.
Cities: Skylines and all of its released and forthcoming DLC is available on Steam, and is even currently being sold for 75% off at the time of writing. It’s upcoming sequel, Cities: Skylines II also has a page on Steam.
