Cities Skylines 2 has surpassed one million sales, a massive milestone for the developer. However, achieving this three months post-launch, as opposed to the first month for its predecessor, suggests a slower initial uptake. This could be attributed to consumer wariness regarding the game’s state at launch or possible comparisons with the first Cities Skylines, which set a high benchmark.
Despite performance improvements, criticisms about the anti-aliasing (AA) solution, lack of support for NVIDIA’s DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), and AMD’s FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), and missing gameplay elements indicate that the game might not have met the polished standards expected at release. This perception aligns with a broader industry trend where games are released somewhat unfinished, relying on post-launch updates to reach their full potential.
Paradox Interactive’s acknowledgment of not meeting player expectations at launch, coupled with the suggestion that financial needs drove the push for release, reflects a tension between business objectives and the desire to deliver a quality product. This scenario is not unique to them but is a recurring theme in the industry, where market pressures and financial goals sometimes lead to compromises in product quality at launch.
