What Colossal Order does

Colossal Order Oy is a privately held Finnish game development studio founded in 2009 and headquartered in Tampere, Finland. The company employs a 33-person team drawn from 10 countries, structured with owner-operators, and focuses exclusively on complex PC simulation games, with the city-builder Cities: Skylines franchise as its flagship product. The studio's technical foundation is built on the Unity engine with Entity Component System (ECS) and Burst compilation, supporting a deep simulation architecture designed to model AI-driven citizen behavior, complex economic systems, and large-scale city rendering.

The company's commercial model is built around one-time license sales of base games plus paid expansions and asset packs, distributed digitally through Steam and Microsoft Store, with Paradox Interactive serving as publisher for the Cities: Skylines franchise until the partnership ended in November 2025. Cities: Skylines (2015) sold over 12 million copies and built a modding community with more than 400,000 user-created mods on Steam Workshop. The sequel, Cities: Skylines II, launched in October 2023 but faced performance challenges and has underperformed commercially relative to the original. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Following the mutual termination of the Paradox partnership, Cities: Skylines II development will transfer to Iceflake Studios (a Paradox-owned Finnish studio) starting in 2026. Colossal Order has stated it will pursue independent game development going forward, though no specific successor title has been announced. The studio maintains community engagement through development diaries, social media, and the Paradox Mods platform, but its near-term revenue trajectory is structurally affected by the loss of its primary franchise.

Name

Colossal Order

Legal name

Colossal Order Ltd

Website

https://colossalorder.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Colossal Order is a privately held, 33-person Finnish game studio in Tampere that develops complex PC simulation games, most notably the Cities: Skylines franchise (12M+ units sold), distributed via Steam and Microsoft Store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Simulation Games

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategy/4X/Management Game Studios (MPAFAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

AAA & Premium Game Studios (PC/Console) (MPAFAAAA)

Keywords

• City-building games
• Simulation games
• PC game development
• Urban planning games
• Strategy games

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampere

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Game Sales: Colossal Order develops and releases PC simulation games, with revenue generated from base game sales through digital distribution platforms (Steam, Microsoft Store). Cities: Skylines was released in 2015 and Cities: Skylines II in October 2023.
2. Expansion Packs: Major paid expansions adding new gameplay mechanics and content to games, such as the Bridges & Ports expansion for Cities: Skylines II featuring maritime infrastructure, bridges, and port customization.
3. Asset Packs: Paid DLC asset packs providing additional building variations and props, such as Beach Properties with 60+ new buildings across North American and European low-density residential zones plus signature buildings.
4. Mini-Expansions: Smaller paid expansions like Hotels & Retreats adding specific features such as customizable hotel chains, tourist management, and event hosting capabilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Colossal Order is an independent game development studio that designs, develops, and releases PC simulation and city-building games, including the Cities: Skylines franchise (over 12 million copies sold) and Cities in Motion series. The studio creates deep simulation experiences featuring AI-driven citizen simulation, complex economic systems, robust modding tools, and ongoing expansion content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cities in Motion Mass transit simulation game and Colossal Order's debut title, allowing players to design and manage public transportation systems in cities.
• Cities in Motion 2 Sequel to Cities in Motion, continuing the mass transit simulation genre with expanded features for designing and managing urban public transportation networks.
• Cities: Skylines City-building simulation game that became Colossal Order's flagship title, selling over 12 million copies and establishing a large modding community with over 400,000 mods on Steam Workshop.
• Cities: Skylines II Deep simulation city-building game sequel with AI-driven economics, living citizens with detailed life paths, dynamic world with seasons and weather, extensive modding support, and complex production chains. Built on Unity with ECS and Burst compilation for performance at scale.
• Hotels & Retreats (Mini-Expansion) Paid mini-expansion for Cities: Skylines adding customizable hotel chain management with 1-5 star hotels, four tourist types, hotel events, and 5 new maps.
• Beach Properties Asset Pack Paid asset pack for Cities: Skylines II featuring 60+ new buildings across North American and European low-density residential zones plus 6 Signature Buildings.
• Bridges & Ports Expansion First major paid expansion for Cities: Skylines II adding maritime infrastructure, new bridges, customizable ports, maritime industries, and maps for shoreline and waterway city management.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30-40x faster calculations using Unity ECS and Burst compilation compared to traditional approaches

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Iceflake StudiosmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 November 2025Finnish studio owned by Paradox Interactive that is taking over all development of Cities: Skylines II starting in 2026. Iceflake will handle updates, console editions, and future expansions. This follows the mutual end of the decade-long partnership between Colossal Order and Paradox Interactive.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Paradox Interactive: Paradox Interactive is the publisher of Cities: Skylines and Cities: Skylines II. They are a direct strategic counterparty who also develop/publish grand strategy and management games (Crusader Kings, Stellaris, Europa Universalis). Highly comparable in target customer (PC strategy/sim enthusiasts) and business model (PC game publishing + DLC), but they are a much larger publisher rather than a studio peer.
• Maxis (EA): Maxis created the original SimCity franchise, the genre-defining city-builder that Cities: Skylines effectively succeeded in the PC market. Operates within Electronic Arts as a broad incumbent across simulation genres (The Sims, SimCity). Comparable in target genre and player base but operates at AAA scale inside a major publisher.

Direct peers

• Haemimont Games: Haemimont Games developed the Tropico series, a leading city-builder/management simulation franchise on PC. Directly comparable in product category (city-builder/management sim), target customer (PC strategy enthusiasts), and indie-studio scale. Recently acquired by Paradox Interactive, which further aligns them with the city-builder segment.
• Crate Entertainment: Crate Entertainment developed Farthest Frontier, a colonial-era city-builder/survival management sim. Comparable as an independent PC studio making deep simulation games in the same broad genre as Cities: Skylines, targeting the same Steam audience of management-sim enthusiasts.
• Iceflake Studios: Iceflake Studios is a Finnish game studio owned by Paradox Interactive that took over Cities: Skylines II development in 2026. They now occupy the exact same development role Colossal Order held, on the same franchise, with a similar simulation-game DNA (they developed Surviving the Aftermath). Direct peer in geography, technology stack, and franchise ownership.
• Limbic Entertainment: Limbic Entertainment developed Tropico 6 and is developing railway/management simulation games. Directly comparable as a mid-sized European studio specializing in deep strategy/management simulation games with strong PC strategy audiences.
• Slavic Magic: Slavic Magic developed Manor Lords, an indie medieval city-builder/management sim that became a major hit on Steam. Comparable as a small, independent PC studio developing deep simulation/management games with strong community reception in the same genre as Cities: Skylines.
• Tantalus Media: Tantalus Media developed the SimCity remasters (SimCity: BuildIt, SimCity (2013) console port). Comparable as a studio with direct city-builder franchise experience, working on the SimCity IP that historically competed with Cities: Skylines. Smaller studio similar in scale to Colossal Order.

Emerging players

• Firemonkeys Studios (EA): Firemonkeys developed The Sims: FreePlay and The Sims Mobile. While their platform focus (mobile) differs from Colossal Order (PC), they are comparable as a small studio within a major publisher working on simulation IP in the EA/Maxis ecosystem, with overlapping audience interest.
• ConcernedApe (Eric Barone): ConcernedApe is the solo developer of Stardew Valley, a deeply successful independent PC simulation game with very strong DLC/expansion monetization and a passionate modding community. Comparable as a small/solo independent developer of enduring simulation IP on PC, though with a different thematic focus (farming/life sim rather than city-building).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/colossalorder
• Facebookfacebook.com/colossal-order-ltd-112645374430

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Colossal Order