City Skylines 2 on Console Delayed Indefinitely as Developer Struggles to Hit Stability and Performance Targets [IGN]

It’s more bad news for Cities Skylines 2, which has now seen its console version delayed indefinitely.

In a note to console players, publisher Paradox said the console version was still not up to scratch and will now miss its planned October 2024 release window, itself a delayed target from earlier this year.

“Unfortunately, we have not yet met the stability and performance targets we set for the console release,” Paradox said. “Without a Release Candidate (RC), we are now unable to meet an October release window.

“While we are making slow but steady progress, there are still unresolved issues impacting the game in ways that harm the player experience we want to deliver. We expect to receive a new RC, which will undergo a thorough review in August. This evaluation will determine whether we can begin the submission process and provide a solid release date, or if further issues need to be addressed.

“We understand this is disappointing, and it’s not what we had hoped for either. However, we are committed to keeping you informed throughout this development process, even if the updates aren’t always what we’d like.

“Thank you for your understanding and support.”

Colossal Order’s troubled city-builder sequel launched in October 2023 on PC via Steam and immediately ran into a number of issues. But Cities: Skylines 2’s problems began before its launch even arrived. Colossal Order had warned players the game would release with performance issues a week before it came out. In IGN’s Cities: Skylines 2 review, which returned a 6/10, we said: “Cities: Skylines 2 is an ambitious sequel that might have bitten off more than it can chew – be prepared to do a lot of terraforming if you don’t want your metropolis to look like a nightmare.”

Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen later admitted the lack of modding support was the developer’s “biggest regret.” Then, in April, Paradox was forced to offer refunds for the latest DLC, with Hallikainen and Mattias Lilja, deputy CEO of publisher Paradox, admitting the heavily criticized Beach Properties DLC was rushed out in a bid to improve sentiment around the disastrous launch of Cities Skylines 2. At the time of this article’s publication, more people are playing the first Cities Skylines game than its sequel on Steam.

As for the console release, the plan was to release it in the spring of 2024 after missing last year’s launch, but it was was delayed to October. There is no new release window. Back in April, Colossal Order and Paradox insisted that the team working on the console release operates separately from the PC development team, “so it will be progressing without splitting our focus or time.”

Missing October 2024 means Cities Skylines 2 will now launch on console over a year after it came out on PC, which was clearly not in Paradox or Colossal Order’s original plan. Meanwhile, both companies are battling a disgruntled player base by releasing updates aimed at improving the core PC version.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.