Cities Skylines 2 launches two new community-made paid DLC packs in the wake of developer split, with the asset editor to follow

In the wake of its dramatic split with developer Colossal Order, Cities Skylines 2 has launched new DLC made by the community. 'Creator packs' have long been a part of Cities Skylines, with dozens of additions available for the original that offer plenty of ways to further expand on one of the PC's best city-building games. As we enter uncharted territory for the sequel, the Skyscrapers and Supply Chains packs offer a bit more of that familiar stability to proceedings, with the long-awaited CS2 asset editor finally due to arrive in beta right afterwards.

After two years of Cities Skylines 2, it's still struggling to match up to the legacy of its predecessor. Despite solid foundations, stability issues and bugs have continued to rear their heads, and the first expansion, Bridges and Ports, has come under fire from players for feeling like paid content that should have been in the core game. Two weeks ago, developer Colossal Order and publisher Paradox Interactive announced that they were parting ways. Paradox has handed the reins over to Iceflake Studios, which previously created post-apocalypse city builder Surviving the Aftermath.

Iceflake's responsibilities will include "patches and polish for the current version, continuous work on the editor and console editions, as well as future expansion and content packs." But to keep things ticking over during what's presumably an involved handover process, these new creator packs increase the range of available tools for you to work with.

The first offering, Skyscrapers by 'REV0,' is all about towering structures that let you post up an impressive skyline, based on "international architectural styles." There are 15 signature buildings ranging from sleek commercial HQs to residential complexes, along with two service buildings. Alongside that are 23 upgrades including the likes of integrated transit terminals, rooftop observatories, and underground facilities.

If you're more of a fan of raw industry, Supply Chains by 'Badi_Dea' will be more your speed. This is all about the hustle, bustle, and churn of infrastructure networks. Its 27 signature buildings and nine upgrades will gradually unlock as you hit milestones in working with specific materials. Expect the likes of mills, refineries, factories, furnaces, livestock processing, bottling plants, and so on, gradually building up to consumer-facing facilities such as bakeries, farmers markets, sports bars, and antique stores.

After more ways to spruce up your game? You don't have far to look. The Cities Skylines 2 asset editor will be made available in beta from Thursday December 4, enabling creators to implement and share all manner of custom props and buildings. The best Cities Skylines 2 mods have been the game's biggest saving grace so far; hopefully this update helps with that, although Paradox notes that in its current state "it's primarily intended for users with extensive modding or asset-creation experience."

The Cities Skylines 2 Skyscrapers and Supply Chains creator packs are available now for $7.99 / £6.99 each, while the accompanying 'Synth and Steel Radio' and 'Cloud Lounge FM' music packs cost $4.99 / £4.49 each. You can get all four in a combined bundle at a 15% discount, costing $22.06 / £19.52. Find it here if you want to take a closer look at what it's got to offer.