This week’s gaming landscape unfolds with a mixture of excitement and concern, particularly for PC players. Despite the platform’s abundance of games and impressive graphics capabilities, some major titles are facing turbulent launches, adding Cities: Skylines II to the list of disappointments. Senior Editor Jessica Conditt delves into the current state of the gaming industry in her weekly roundup.
Cities: Skylines II Disappoints and Faces Community Backlash
The sequel to the beloved urban-planning game, Cities: Skylines II, hit the shelves last October, but not without significant hitches. Originally pitched as a simultaneous release on PC and consoles, the game is currently only available on PC, with no clear timeline for other platforms. Adding to the frustration, the absence of official mod support on release, a deviation from its predecessor’s success with Steam Workshop, has left players dissatisfied.
Colossal Order, the developer, raised the game’s minimum and recommended PC specifications shortly before launch, rendering it unplayable for a sizable portion of the player base. Despite ongoing updates addressing bugs and missing features, the CEO, Mariina Hallikainen, acknowledged the disappointment and urged for civility in communication with the community. However, she faced pushback, with players demanding accountability and a concrete plan to rectify the game’s current state.
Microsoft’s Macro Layoffs After Activision Blizzard Acquisition
In a surprising move, Microsoft, three months post the Activision Blizzard acquisition, announced layoffs affecting 1,900 employees across Xbox, ZeniMax, and Activision Blizzard divisions. This comes amid an industry-wide crisis, with nearly 6,000 jobs lost in January alone and a total of 9,000 in the preceding year. Alongside the layoffs, Microsoft officially canceled Odyssey, a survival game Blizzard had been developing for six years.
Palworld: A Rising Star with Copyright Concerns
Amid the tumult, 2024 seems to be the year of Palworld, a game often dubbed “Pokémon with guns.” Despite its popularity, Nintendo has initiated an investigation into potential copyright infringement, placing the spotlight on this indie title.
Community Collaboration and Long-Term Plans for Cities: Skylines II
While Cities: Skylines II grapples with its turbulent launch, the community remains hopeful, drawing parallels to successful game revivals like No Man’s Sky and Cyberpunk 2077. Colossal Order, committed to a 10-year plan for the game, emphasizes ongoing collaboration with content creators and modders to shape the future updates. However, the discontent among players lingers, with expectations for a more complete experience echoing louder, especially for those who invested in the $90 Ultimate Edition.
As the gaming industry navigates through layoffs, controversies, and the resilience of player communities, the fate of Cities: Skylines II hangs in the balance. Will it follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, evolving into a beloved title over time, or will its rocky start be a lasting stain on its legacy? Only time will reveal the trajectory of this ambitious sequel.
