At the Paradox Interactive booth at Gamescom, I got to play the latest entry in the "Skyline" series—LEGO: Skyline.
That's right, it's not the "mixed reception" sequel to the series, but rather Paradox Interactive's brand-new attempt.
The demo time was short—so short that for a "city-building" game, you could say we hadn't even really begun. But the development team thoughtfully provided us with a save file that had at least 30+ hours of playtime, allowing us to properly explore the charm of this work.
To be honest, despite the "Skyline" in its name, LEGO: Skyline plays more like Anno.
To be precise, the experience of LEGO: Skyline is almost a return to the most standard "city-building game"—laying roads, placing housing, meeting population needs, gaining population growth, unlocking more services, laying out more roads and buildings, and so on, in a continuous cycle.
Compared to other standard city-building games, LEGO: Skyline benefits from the "LEGO" theme, allowing players to deeply customize houses, factories, or service facilities that would otherwise be static in the building customization interface.
This sounds like wonderful news for players who love landscaping.
Of course, some might be curious. Setting aside the customization aspects, how does LEGO: Skyline hold up as a city-building game?
I can't give a definitive answer on that just yet. In short, the game is still in a fairly early stage. That's all for now; let's move on to the conversation with the development team.
Below is the content of the discussion from the Gamescom site.
Q: During the development of LEGO: Skyline, was there any communication with the Cities: Skylines series development team? Was there any overlap in personnel?
A:Well, from the producer's perspective, LEGO: Skyline and Cities: Skylines are completely separate projects with two different development teams. So, I am leading LEGO: Skyline, and the team under me reports directly to me. Meanwhile, another producer is leading a different team responsible for the development of Cities: Skylines II.
There is very little overlap between the two project organizations, with perhaps only a few dozen people moving between both teams.
Although only a few people are involved in the development of both "Skyline" titles, the benefits clearly outweigh the drawbacks—because we can share knowledge and ensure that both projects are done to the best of their ability.
But undoubtedly, each team is 100% focused on their own product.
Q: Specifically, what experiences and technologies can be shared between the two?
A:As we mentioned earlier, the two projects share many commonalities in terms of design and technology—for example, both games are developed using the Unity engine, and since we are in the same studio, much of the technical content can be shared and leveraged. However, the development teams for the two games are independent, and so far, we are very satisfied with the progress of both projects.
We are very much looking forward to seeing how it turns out in the end.
Q: I feel that LEGO: Skyline plays more like traditional city-builders such as Anno, compared to the Cities: Skylines series.
A:You are quite right; its full name is not LEGO Cities: Skylines, but LEGO: Skyline—although it has "Skyline" in the name, it actually plays more like a traditional city-builder. Both exist within the same broader worldview, but their city-building design philosophies are completely different. Cities: Skylines focuses on deep, highly complex system simulations, such as urban traffic logic, the environmental impact of complex traffic, and water simulation mechanics—like the "sewage-powered" concept you mentioned earlier.
Meanwhile, LEGO: Skyline is more about managing your city and creating one that is uniquely yours; the focus is completely different. We want players to freely unleash their ideas and creativity, highlight the city's personality, and discover their own way of playing.
In Cities: Skylines, the player's goal is to constantly expand, making the city bigger and bigger while maintaining a healthy economy—this is almost the only goal of the game. But in LEGO: Skyline, players need to make their own choices: whether to expand on a large scale to create a unique city, or maintain a small-town scale and focus on detailed content and the ordinary residents within the city.
This is the design philosophy we wanted to achieve, and it is the core distinction between this title and Cities: Skylines.
Q: During my demo, I noticed that LEGO: Skyline isn't necessarily much easier than Cities: Skylines; players still need to pay attention to many demands like garbage collection, power supply, and water supply.
A:This title also has a heap of city-building tasks to handle, just as you said, with various urban operational demands. However, I think one great aspect of this game is our desire to cater to all types of players. The game has a complete set of rules and rich systemic content. If you enjoy the freedom to tinker and reorganize various systems as in Cities: Skylines, you can still do so in LEGO: Skyline.
At the same time, one of our core goals is to make city-building accessible for beginners. So, even though the game features various complex functions and demands, we will gradually unlock these features for players.
We want players to learn the basics first before tackling the more complex, advanced content.
Some veteran players will surely think, "I already know all this"—which is perfectly fine, but we also want to ensure that both new and old players find the game appealing. So, although we provide numerous customization options, we don't want to force players to use them.
For players who just want to focus on city management and maximize efficiency, there's no need to agonize over choosing this flower or that one when decorating houses.
However, we did spend a lot of effort designing these common city systems. For example, power supply, traffic, etc., all supporting facilities rely on the road system. By the way, we have also made aesthetics a game mechanic—it's not just a visual effect; aesthetics genuinely affect the city's development progress.
Q: Is road construction in LEGO: Skyline still a major project requiring considerable "professional expertise"?
A:The building tools in LEGO: Skyline are not as complex; they are much simpler compared to Cities: Skylines. But don't forget, this is a "LEGO" game—and what is the essence of "LEGO"? It's building. Therefore, players can enjoy a different kind of fun—blocks and building sizes fit together seamlessly, allowing buildings to connect perfectly.
In the game, you won't encounter situations like those in Cities: Skylines where there are gaps between plots, driving perfectionists crazy—you could say this is a completely different gameplay experience.
Q: By the way, have you estimated how many children might play this game?
A:The core target audience for LEGO: Skyline is adults. Although LEGO products are generally family-friendly, resulting in a low age rating for the game, the gameplay systems in LEGO: Skyline are not that "family-friendly." Therefore, the game is essentially aimed at adults.
Just like LEGO bricks, there are sets specifically designed for adults—those marked 18+, with a huge number of pieces and very complex assembly processes. Of course, children can also find fun in them, but the core audience is adults.
Q: Have you considered the possibility of parents and children playing together?
A:In my view, LEGO: Skyline is indeed suitable for a scenario like this: children handle selecting and placing decorative items, while parents manage the actual city operations. I play this way with my own child, and it's a great way to enjoy the game.
But undoubtedly, this title is primarily aimed at an adult audience.