Cities: Skylines 2 Dev Calls Out 'Growing Tendency of Toxicity' in Its Community

ign.com:

Cities: Skylines 2 developer Colossal Order has asked players to help create a more positive environment after noticing “a growing tendency of toxicity” in its community.

Studio CEO Mariina Hallikainen took the time to discuss the state of the fanbase in Colossal Order’s latest message to fans over on the Paradox Interactive Forums. It’s a message that welcomes players back from the holidays while promising modding support, bug fixes, and more. Most of the letter, however, focuses on the negativity that the team seeks to address.

“Last but not least, we have seen a growing tendency of toxicity in our community, something we have not experienced to this extent before,” Hallikainen said. “Not only directed towards our devs but also our fellow community members - resulting in people hesitating to engage with the community. In the long run, this will really hurt not only the mood and the happiness of community members but also discourage creativity and modding, something we would be very sad to see.”

Colossal Order says it has always appreciated when the team interacts with the community. However, it’s even more crucial that the developers are safe, and it seems the toxicity is causing problems. As the studio seeks to prioritize staff wellbeing and motivation, it asks fans if they would prefer “more moderation” or “is the only option to pull back our engagement on our end?”

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where this toxicity is coming from, and while most comments on the CEO’s post are positive, some shared other thoughts. Paradox Forum user Licenturion feels that the responses are related to player reactions to the game’s widely criticized launch state, adding that feedback will be more positive if improvements continue.

“Toxicity and criticism are different things, I'm sure you understand that,” Hallikainen clarified in a reply. “Toxicity is threats, attacking people and being outright mean. It has nothing to do with explaining what the issues with the game you might be