Cities: Skylines 2 Delaying Mods for New Multi-Platform Approach

Cities: Skylines 2 Won’t Have Mod Support at Launch, But Publisher Details Ambitious Plans.

The hotly anticipated city builder simulation sequel Cities: Skylines 2 will unfortunately not include mod support at launch according to publisher Paradox Interactive. However, Paradox outlined an ambitious long-term modding strategy aiming for major inclusivity improvements down the line.

The 2015 original Cities: Skylines earned tremendous acclaim and praise partially thanks to its extensive Steam Workshop integration that allowed a thriving user-generated content scene. But the sequel will forego workshop support initially in favour of Paradox’s proprietary Paradox Mods platform.

Paradox cited enabling mods across both PC and consoles as the primary motivation, unlike the PC-only modding in the original strategy title. Bringing user creations to PlayStation and Xbox aligns with their accessibility goals.

Closed Beta Tools Collaborating With Creators on Quality Mods

The deferred mod support also links to Cities: Skylines 2’s entirely new codebase, necessitating custom mod tools that are still in closed beta. Paradox is collaborating with prominent creators to ensure quality mods are available once the platform launches post-release.

Separately, the devs acknowledged Colossal Order has struggled to optimise Cities: Skylines 2’s performance up to their standards. And while improvements are planned, they felt launching in 2023 was still ideal to introduce the sequel’s new features.

Understandably, the lack of modding at launch may disappoint fans eagerly anticipating the creative expansions that made the strategy title so special. But Paradox seems committed to ensuring the sequel ultimately fosters an even more inclusive user generation scene and builds on their classic formula.

Once the tools and infrastructure are fleshed out, the city-building strategy game could empower console gamers to participate in modding for the first time. Despite the delayed start, the end goal of platform-agnostic community creativity could make it worth the wait.

More Strategy Games Content From GLN:

• Age of Empires 2: The Mountain Royals DLC Leaks Online
• The Sims 5 Details Emerge: Free-to-Play Model and Content Plans
• Civilization 6 Massively Discounted on Steam (90% Off)

Bringing the title’s limitless scope to more players is an admirable ambition. While a lack of mods at launch is a tough trade-off, Paradox’s strategy seems to pursue grand aspirations, not quick cash-ins. If they deliver on the promises, the sequel could become the most accessible and expansive city builder yet.

Cities Skylines 2 is scheduled for release on October 24th, 2023, for Windows PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Source – Paradox Forums