After an eight-year wait, Colossal Order has finally announcedCities Skylines 2is set to launch sometime in 2023, and it can be wishlisted on Steam now. The community of fans built by the original is already abuzz with what this sequel will entail, and Colossal Order is promising thatCities Skylines 2will be the most realistic city builder ever, so hopefully it delivers.
While the sequel announcement is great, there is also a worry that Colossal Order will choose to strip outCities Skylinescontent to launch later asCities Skylines 2DLC. The studio has expanded the first game with so many different packs, and it would be a shame if that content was cut from the sequel. Maxis’The Simsseries may release a Seasons and Pets DLC for everySimsgame, but Colossal Order does not have tofollow suit withCities Skylinescontent.
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Cities Skylines 2 Should Launch With Every Cities Skylines DLC
Since 2015,Cities Skylineshas seen a slew of expansion packs and smaller DLC releases adding new mechanics, building types, settings, and a handful of radio stations. A year has not gone by without a new DLC pack, and most years have seen multiple packs get released in different ways, helpingcreate one of the most realistic and complex city buildersaround.
Colossal Order plans to take the series to the next level withCities Skylines 2, and it cannot leave content behind in the first game. Players have invested a lot oftime and money inCities Skylines, and launching the sequel with less content than its predecessor would give current players little reason to move on. The second game should take everything that the first game currently has, and then expand upon that with future DLC and free updates.
A more recent example of a simulation game launching with less than its predecessor isKerbal Space Program 2. The hotly anticipated follow-up to the popular space sim recently launched, and fans quickly discovered that it was missing a lot of the content from the first. The game also has numerous bugs and stability issues, to the extent thatsomeKerbal Space Programplayers have begun demanding refunds. This has pushed many potential buyers away, and has given the fanbase little reason to upgrade to the newest title.
Cities Skylines 2cannot repeat the pitfalls of other major simulation games, and the easiest way to do that would be not cutting content. Everything that is currently inCities Skylinesshould be carried over toCities Skylines 2upon release, including the ability to play with natural disasters, create green cities,build their own unique industrial zones, manage schools, and even host concerts. Instead of chopping up the first game for DLC to increase profits through nostalgia,Cites Skylines 2should expand those mechanics and include them as base features.
Graphical upgrades are not everything, and players have spent too much time withCities Skylines’DLC content to cut it all out of the game. Colossal Order needs to ensure thatCities Skylines 2knocks it out of the park on launch, as it has a great opportunity to try and set a new standard for simulation sequels.
Cities Skylines 2will be available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.
