Colossal Order completely transformed Cities: Skylines 2
Colossal Order is ready to transform the entire economy of Cities: Skylines 2 and completely change the balance of the city building simulator. The Economy 2.0 update promises to be large-scale and addresses all key issues.
Cities Skylines 2’s economy has been criticized since its release in October 2023. For example, government subsidies covered start-up costs, making financial management easier. In Economy 2.0, these subsidies will be removed and the cost of maintaining city services will increase significantly. Now players will have to choose more carefully what to invest in.
Importing services from other places will also change: you will have to pay to use them. The housing demand system will be redesigned: richer citizens will demand expensive low-rise housing, and low-income citizens will demand mid- and high-rise housing.
Industrial buildings will be more closely connected to commercial areas. The education system will change: children will always go to school, and teenagers can choose to work part-time.
Economy 2.0 is transforming manufacturing. The amount of work required to produce one unit of any product will increase, which will lead to longer production and technological cycles and a decrease in overall production, as well as a decrease in company profits.
Less profit also means less taxes collected, but the cost of goods will also change. Companies now pay reduced prices for raw materials, and commercial properties purchase finished goods at a standard rate. These two prices—the cost of raw materials and the finished product—are then combined into the price paid by the consumer.
It may sound unfair, but wages for all citizens are also increased in Economy 2.0, so everyone will have more money to spend on these goods.
Our goal with Economy 2.0 was to make systems clearer and more responsive so you can make more meaningful decisions and have more control over different aspects of your gameplay. This means fewer automated systems operating behind the scenes and increased levels of complexity.
The second part of Economy 2.0 will cover rentals and building upgrades, and Colossal Order promises to share details about these changes soon.
Unfortunately, there is no exact release date for the update yet.