Cities: Skylines 2 Devs Apologize for Dissapointing DLC, Offer Refunds

Players of Colossal Order and Paradox Interactive’s Cities: Skylines 2 have been very vocal about their disappointment with the game’s recent Beach Properties DLC. An expansion to the game which despite its name didn’t add beaches to the game! Instead offering players only a few extra buildings and other assets to add to their cities.

This outrage, combined with complaints since launch about the game’s performance issues, has grown to the point where it has reached the CEOs of both studios behind the game. Causing them to make an official statement about the current state of the game.

In a recent statement on the official Paradox forums, Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen and Paradox Deputy CEO Mattias Lilja gave a statement apologizing for the current state of the game and the lack of substantial updates in recent months. An excerpt from their statement reads:

“We see and understand the disappointment many of you have expressed after the release of Cities: Skylines II and the recent release of Beach Properties. We asked for your patience and support, and you’ve shown those. In return, we let you down. We thought we could make up for the shortcomings of the game in a timeframe that was unrealistic, and rushed out a DLC that should not have been published in its current form. For all this, we are truly sorry.“

This doesn’t seem to be the kind of empty apology that many gamers have grown used to from gaming CEOs however, later on in the post, the duo begins to explain how the companies plan to compensate all players who have purchased the Beach Properties DLC, refunding them and making the expansion a free addition to the game for all players.

Unfortunately, players who spent extra money on the game’s Ultimate Edition for the Beach Properties expansion will not be receiving a refund due to the complexities that would be involved in a partial refund, especially when one factor in physical editions of the game. However, Ultimate Edition owners will receive 3 Creator Packs and 3 Radio Stations as a form of compensation.

The next statement from the CEOs claims that the current goal for the Cities: Skylines 2 dev team is to focus on improving the base game’s features and performance, providing a better experience for the player base. As such, any future expansions for the game have been delayed to 2025. The console release, once scheduled for the Spring of 2024, is being delayed to a currently unspecified window.

While many are still disappointed with the current state of the game, these statements from the CEOs have quelled the rage of many players, who truly hope the game can improve in the future.

Cities: Skylines 2 is currently available to purchase on PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store.