Whenever there's a niche within a market, someone, somewhere will find a way to cater to it. When the rebooted SimCity turned out to be a title bogged down by bad design decisions and an always online requirement at launch that didn't sit well with fans of the genre, Finnish developer Colossal Order and publisher Paradox Interactive took this opportunity to release Cities: Skylines. The game had the most successful launch for a Paradox title ever, going on to sell 1 million units within the first month and now, a year down the line, they are celebrating 2 million units sold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjyaaMHe09s In a blog post on the official Paradox Interactive website, Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen had this to say about the first year:
Our team is floored by the response players have had to Cities: Skylines and by the level of success the game has achieved in such a short time.We knew that trying to create a city-building game with such a small team was an ambitious project, but we’d been working towards that goal ever since the first
We knew that trying to create a city-building game with such a small team was an ambitious project, but we’d been working towards that goal ever since the first Cities in Motion title, and we knew, if given the chance, that we could make it happen. A year ago, we achieved that goal, and the results have been nothing short of incredible. We’ve got so much more in store for all two million of our players, and I want to thank each and every one of them.
To celebrate this momentous occasion Colossal Order will be releasing a content update later this month, adding in a few oft-requested features to the game free of charge. When the update hits later this month, you'll be able to do some light terraforming of your cities so you can finally get rid of that hilly bit of terrain that's screwing with your layout, or divert that one river a bit so you can build more houses. They are also handing over the "quays" of the city to the players, making it possible to create canals and quays in your city.
Colossal Order will also be throwing a party in their Finnish hometown of Tampere, and one lucky player can win a all-expenses paid trip to the studio and the festivities. If you want to enter for a chance to win this prize, you can go here to find out what you need to do!
Cities: Skylines released on the 10th of May, 2015 and has since gone on to foster a large modding community. Colossal Order has also released 2 major expansion to date, with After Dark adding in a day/night cycle and Snowfall adding in a (wintery) weather system.
