Paradox Interactive and Cities: Skylines Developer Colossal Order End 15-Year Partnership

Paradox Interactive announced on a recent statement that it has ended its long‑standing partnership with Colossal Order, the Finnish studio behind the Cities: Skylines series. The separation was described as a mutual decision made thoughtfully and in the interest of both teams.

The two companies first began collaborating in 2008, when Paradox published the original Cities: Skylines, which quickly became a benchmark in city‑building simulations. Over the next fifteen years the partnership produced several expansions, downloadable content packs and a sequel that collectively sold millions of copies and built a dedicated community.

Industry observers note that the split comes amid a period of financial strain for Paradox, which has reported lower quarterly revenues and has been restructuring several of its internal studios. A spokesperson for the publisher said the decision allows Paradox to concentrate resources on its core strategy and to explore new publishing models, while giving Colossal Order the freedom to pursue its own development roadmap.

Analysts suggest that the move could have mixed implications for players. On one hand, Colossal Order may be able to allocate more of its own budget to post‑launch support and future titles without external constraints. On the other hand, the loss of Paradox’s distribution network could affect the reach of upcoming updates, at least in the short term. Fans expressed optimism that the city‑building franchise will continue to receive updates, citing the strong modding community as a stabilising factor.

Both parties indicated that they will honor existing commitments, including scheduled updates for Cities: Skylines and its expansions. Looking ahead, Colossal Order is expected to focus on new projects within the simulation genre, while Paradox plans to expand its portfolio through acquisitions and partnerships with other independent developers.