SimCity-Inspired World Builder Becomes Breakthrough Hit

Cities: Skylines, a city management simulator inspired by SimCity, has become publisher Paradox's fastest selling game to date, the company has announced.

Including preorders, Cities: Skylines has sold some 250,000 units in the first 24 hours since it launched, which Paradox says shatters sales records for every other game it released within the same time period.

“Our congratulations and thanks must also go to developer Colossal Order for making what is being widely described as the new benchmark of the city building genre," Paradox chief executive Fredrik Wester said.

"We have forged a strong partnership with them over a number of years through the release of Cities in Motion and Cities in Motion 2, and I am happy to see such a talented team now being widely applauded for their unmatched passion and skill.”

Cities: Skylines, which its developer previously said is very much influenced by SimCity 4, seems to have struck a chord with fans of the city sim genre.

2013's SimCity famously required an internet connection to play when it launched and severely limited the maximum size of cities. Unlike SimCity, Cities: Skylines allows players to build huge cities and tinker with small details in the game's traffic, energy, and sewage systems. It also allows for player-made mods and buildings, which already number in the thousands in the game's Steam Workshop page.

Last week, Electronic Arts announced that it was shutting down SimCity developer Maxis Emeryville. The publisher said it still intends to support the game.

GameSpot's review gave Electronic Art's SimCity a 5/10, while GameSpot's review of Cities: Skylines gave it an 8/10 for its realistic city-building game mechanics based on a sound understanding of zoning.