Unity Unraveled: The Costly Lessons of Cities: Skylines 2

The Development Challenges Faced by Cities: Skylines 2

The development journey of Cities: Skylines 2 has been anything but smooth sailing. With a complete shift in developers in recent months, it’s clear that the process has been messy. Released nearly three years ago, the city builder still grapples with various issues, reflecting a larger industry-wide problem. In a recent interview, Mariina Hallikainen, CEO of the game’s former developer Colossal Order, shed light on the specific hurdles faced by the studio, particularly with the Unity engine.

Hallikainen revealed that they initially overestimated the capabilities of the Unity engine at the project’s inception. When they embarked on the sequel, they planned features based on engine capabilities that were not yet finalized. The goal was to future-proof the game for potential post-launch development over a decade. However, as they delved into Unity’s technology, they discovered that many promised features did not deliver as expected.

The development team found themselves in a challenging situation where they had to develop additional features to compensate for missing or malfunctioning ones. This reliance on unproven technology proved to be a significant hindrance throughout the development of Cities: Skylines 2.

Despite the setbacks, Hallikainen emphasized that there are no hard feelings towards Unity, stating that the studio maintains a positive relationship with the engine developer. She highlighted that everyone involved, including Colossal Order, Paradox, and Unity, did their best under the circumstances.

Looking ahead, Colossal Order is working on a new simulation game, developed for PC using Unity. While details remain scarce, Hallikainen hinted at an exciting project in the works, showcasing the studio’s commitment to creating immersive gaming experiences.