- A new anniversary patch for Cities: Skylines 2 has been released
- The update celebrates the 11th anniversary of the franchise
- It adds a new Iceflake Arena, zoning tools, and two new creator packs
To celebrate the 11th anniversary of the Cities: Skylines franchise, Iceflake Studios has released a special Cities: Skylines 2 update with new gameplay features and two creator packs.
The anniversary patch, which is now live across all platforms, "won't be the biggest one you've seen" according to the studio, but still includes a brand new asset and new playable content for players to enjoy.
The biggest feature of the update is the new signature commercial building, the Iceflake Arena, "which provides your citizens with proper entertainment, like concerts and ice hockey matches." The stadium gives players' cities a "city-wide boost in attractiveness, as well as well-being", and is even fitted with a fancy sauna.
In addition to the arena, the developer has added new toggleable zoning tools, inspired by popular mods, that make building much easier. It will also be updated further in the future.
"Inspired by the amazing 'Zone Tools' and 'Easy Zoning' mods by River-mochi, we have now added a zoning toggle, which allows you to remove the zoning from any road where it is not wanted! You can choose to remove the zoning from either side, or both sides, depending on your preferences," Iceflake said.
A new in-game encyclopedia, formerly known as the hlossary, is also now accessible to players and offers information about different aspects of the game, which players read about by browsing through different categories and DLC features.
The tool expands the tutorials players see during gameplay, and although it reuses a lot of the information shown there, the new search function makes navigation much easier.
Alongside a host of bug fixes, the anniversary patch also comes alongside the launch of two new creator packs, Office Evolution by 'Titan' and City Stations, by 'BadPeanut', each of which features a new radio station that can be purchased separately or as part of a bundle.
Office Evolution will offer players a new high-density office zone, while City Stations expands on the Train Stations creator pack for the original Cities: Skylines by implementing a host of new builds, upgrades, and more transport types.
As for what's next, Iceflake Studios said it has a "lot more in store for you in the near future" and hints at something new in the second quarter of the year, as well as fixes for issues that have been pointed out in its forums.
