As Cities: Skylines 2 grapples with ongoing post-launch challenges, publisher Paradox Interactive has introduced a surprise batch of new paid DLC for the original Cities: Skylines—despite having wrapped its development roadmap over a year ago.
In May 2022, Paradox concluded major content updates for Cities: Skylines 1 with the “Hotels & Retreats” mini-expansion, stating that the developer, Colossal Order, would provide basic support through the end of 2023 before shifting focus to the much-anticipated sequel. However, Cities: Skylines 2 stumbled out of the gate, with numerous issues delaying its DLC plans and prompting Colossal Order to prioritize improvements to the base game instead. An initial attempt to release DLC for the sequel met with significant backlash, leading Paradox to put all paid DLC on hold. In September, further delays were announced to allow time for an essential assets editor, a tool seen as critical for the game’s development.
Amid these setbacks, Paradox has now launched three fresh paid DLC packs for Cities: Skylines 1, marking an unexpected return to the franchise’s roots. The new content includes the Mountain Village Pack, Map Pack 3—both part of Cities: Skylines’ Content Creator lineup—and the Alpine Tunes music pack, each with a focus on mountainous and alpine environments.
In their announcement, Paradox emphasized that these DLC packs were in development well before Cities: Skylines 2 launched and clarified that no resources from the sequel were redirected. The DLC was developed in collaboration with Tantalus, leaving Colossal Order free to continue improving Cities: Skylines 2. Additionally, Paradox announced that Cities: Skylines 2 players can look forward to free community-created region packs inspired by iconic global architecture, set to release next week.
These releases come during a challenging period for Paradox Interactive, which has faced a series of notable setbacks. In addition to Cities: Skylines 2’s rough start, Prison Architect 2 was indefinitely delayed following Paradox’s split with developer Double Eleven. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, after nearly being canceled, has been delayed to 2025 under its new developer, The Chinese Room. Earlier in 2023, Paradox canceled its life-sim project Life By You, and last year’s The Lamplighters’ League underperformed commercially, leading Paradox to part ways with developer Harebrained Schemes.
Despite these challenges, the unexpected revival of Cities: Skylines 1 DLC offers a bright spot for fans of the original game, who now have more content to explore while Cities: Skylines 2 continues its path to stability.
