Cities Skylines 2 Faces Renewed Criticism After 'Failed' Launch of DLC, Mod Support

Cities Skylines 2 recently launched a new update that brought a new DLC as well as mod support for the game but failed to satisfy players after a release that some called a "disgrace."

The support for mods was supposed to have been the game's savior following a largely negative review summary among players. The issue was preceded by a troublesome launch in October last year that included performance problems.

Cities Skylines 2 Mod Support Update Falls Flat

Cities Skylines 2 Faces Renewed Criticism After 'Failed' Launch of DLC, Mod Support — Cities Skylines 2 players are complaining about the "failed" launch of the game's new mod support update and first DLC amid technical issues.
(Photo : Colossal Order, Paradox Interactive / Screenshot taken from official website)

But as the official support for Cities Skylines 2 mods arrived alongside the game's first DLC, players have found new technical issues that need to be addressed. While the latest installment in the franchise has the potential to become the best city builder, it has a long way to go in order to earn that title.

For months now, mods for the game have been available unofficially as players wanted to create their own tweaks and improvements to the game's various systems and simulations. The developers, however, brought a new platform for making and sharing player-built material that makes mods more accessible and more stable, according to PCGamesN.

Furthermore, while DLC for Cities Skylines 2 has been eagerly anticipated, the first premium asset pack has fallen flat for Colossal Order and Paradox. The game's rating on Steam, which is based on recent responses, is, at the time of writing, "mostly negative" following the release of the Beach Properties pack and mod support.

This includes 136 negative reviews that were posted for the management game on Mar. 25, which is the largest number of negative reviews in a single day since at least the end of February.

Many players reported that Cities Skylines 2's mods that were downloaded through the Paradox Mods platform were not working properly. There were some instances where players were unable to download mods at all from the new platform.

Complaints of Technical Issues

Others reported that after they downloaded the mods, they were not accessible and available for use within the game itself. The game's first DLC is also facing harsh criticism as players argue that it is expensive but adds nearly no additional content.

The Beach Properties asset pack, which does not introduce any new features, adds a waterfront zone, a bunch of new growable buildings, six signature buildings, and four trees. One thing that players have also complained about is that despite its name, the DLC does not actually include any beaches, said PCGamer.

Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen said in December last year that modding support for Cities Skylines 2 was what she was most looking forward to coming to the game. This was intended to be available at the game's launch but the challenges of building the new title's technical base, alongside many other technical issues, pushed the effort back.

The new in-game mod tools were also designed to make it easier for players to load preset "Playsets" of mod combinations. Despite the troublesome launch of the new update, most non-incensed commenters and reviewers have argued that the tools themselves are an upgrade over the prior game's editing suite, according to ArsTechnica.