Colossal Order
{{Short description|Finnish video game developer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{About|the video game developer|the architectural order|giant order}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Colossal Order
| logo = Colossal Order logo.svg
| type = Private
| industry = Video games
| founded = {{Start date and age|June 2009}}
| founder =
| hq_location_city = Tampere
| hq_location_country = Finland
| key_people = Mariina Hallikainen (CEO)
| num_employees = 30{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-07-13-12m-sales-and-counting-whats-behind-cities-skylines-building-success|title=12m sales and counting: What's behind Cities: Skylines' building success?|first=Alex|last=Calvin|work=Gameindustry.biz|date=July 13, 2022|accessdate=July 14, 2022}}
| num_employees_year = 2022
| website = {{URL|https://www.colossalorder.fi/|colossalorder.fi}}
}}
Colossal Order is a Finnish video game developer known for its business simulation game series Cities in Motion and for its city-builder series Cities: Skylines.{{cite web|url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/01/05/impressions-cities-in-motion/|title=Some Impressions: Cities in Motion|publisher=Rock, Paper, Shotgun|date=5 January 2011|accessdate=12 March 2015|author=Quintin Smith|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408010017/http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/01/05/impressions-cities-in-motion/|archive-date=8 April 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/08/15/on-the-buses-cities-in-motion-2/|title=On the Buses: Cities in Motion 2|publisher=Rock, Paper, Shotgun|date=15 August 2012|accessdate=12 March 2015|author=John Walker|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402123938/http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/08/15/on-the-buses-cities-in-motion-2/|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/03/10/cities-skylines-review/|title=Wot I Think: Cities: Skylines|publisher=Rock, Paper, Shotgun|date=10 March 2015|accessdate=12 March 2015|author=Alec Meer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311160327/http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/03/10/cities-skylines-review/|archive-date=11 March 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web | url=http://www.colossalorder.fi/company.html | title=Company | work=Colossal Order | accessdate=10 March 2015 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307191817/http://www.colossalorder.fi/company.html | archivedate=7 March 2015 | df=dmy-all }} The company was founded in Tampere, Finland in 2009. The developer is closely linked to Swedish publisher Paradox Interactive,{{Cite web|url = http://www.gamereactor.fi/artikkelit/80006/Esittelyss%E4+Colossal+Order/|title = Esittelyssä Colossal Order|trans-title = Introducing Colossal Order|language = fi|work = Gamereactor Finland|publisher = Gamez Publishing A/S|access-date = 5 March 2015|last = Mika Sorvari|date = 17 March 2011}} which tests, markets, sells, and distributes, the games by Colossal Order. The CEO of Colossal Order is Mariina Hallikainen.{{cite magazine |title=Tomorrowland |first=Seth |last=Barton |magazine=MCV |issue=937 |date=July 2018 |publisher=Future Publishing |pages=44–17}}
History
Colossal Order was founded in the summer of 2009 by a group of game developers of the mobile game company Universomo. Mariina Hallikainen was hired from outside of Universomo as the CEO of the new company.
At first, Colossal Order had difficulties obtaining funding for its first game, the business simulation game Cities in Motion, that was already in development when the company was founded.{{Cite journal|url=http://www.tut.fi/rajapinta/artikkelit/2011/3/vakavasti-mukana-pelibisneksessa|title=Vakavasti mukana pelibisneksessä|trans-title=Seriously in with the Games Business|language=fi|last=Eskelinen|first=Päivi|date=19 May 2011|volume=2011|number=3|journal=Rajapinta|publisher=Tampere University of Technology|access-date=21 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122023605/http://www.tut.fi/rajapinta/artikkelit/2011/3/vakavasti-mukana-pelibisneksessa|archive-date=22 November 2015|url-status=live}} Investors thought that Cities in Motion would not attract a large enough clientele. Instead of big investors, the first steps of the company were funded by Finnish public instruments – Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, Tekes, and DigiDemo finance of the Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture – as well as small private investors.
In its early phase, the company was coached by the Yritystalli program of the Tampere University of Technology, but advice was sought directly from experienced Finnish game development companies as well, specifically Remedy Entertainment and Frozenbyte. Upon being founded, Colossal Order compared dozens of publishers and ended up signing a publishing agreement with Paradox Interactive after over a year's worth of negotiations.
In October 2015, Colossal Order was awarded the Finnish Game Developer of the Year ({{langx|fi|Vuoden suomalainen pelinkehittäjä}}) award at the {{interlanguage link|DigiExpo|fi}} convention. The judges thanked Colossal Order for focusing: "from its inception ... on – in addition to developing games – also developing its business model".{{Cite web|title = Cities: Skylines toi vuoden suomalaisen pelinkehittäjän palkinnon|trans-title = Cities: Skylines earned the Finnish Game Developer of the Year Award|language = fi|url = http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/cities-skylines-toi-vuoden-suomalaisen-pelinkehittajan-palkinnon-6061832|work = Tivi|access-date = 31 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151031122242/http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/cities-skylines-toi-vuoden-suomalaisen-pelinkehittajan-palkinnon-6061832|archive-date = 31 October 2015|url-status = live}}
Games
The relationship between Colossal Order and its publisher Paradox Interactive has been characterized as constructive. Colossal Order has the freedom to create games without limitations set by the publisher, bar those on schedules.
Unlike the game developers that founded it, Colossal Order does not develop mobile games. Instead, the company focuses on PC games. Employees of the company have their own internal wiki platform for developing games.{{Cite web | url =http://www.pcgamesn.com/cities-skylines/how-colossal-order-touched-the-clouds-the-making-and-success-of-cities-skylines | title =How Colossal Order touched the clouds: the making and success of Cities: Skylines | last =Peel, Jeremy | date = | location = | publisher =PCGamesN | format = | quote = | access-date =21 November 2015 | page =1 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20150827140134/http://www.pcgamesn.com/cities-skylines/how-colossal-order-touched-the-clouds-the-making-and-success-of-cities-skylines | archive-date =27 August 2015 | url-status =live }} Games by Colossal Order are known for their active modding communities. One of the programmers at the company works full-time on modding tools.{{Cite web | url =http://www.redbull.com/en/games/stories/1331724214226/cities-skylines-interview | title =Cities Skylines: Built this city on mods and coal | last =Wordsworth, Rich | date =21 May 2015 | location = | publisher =Redbull | format = | quote = | access-date =21 November 2015 | page = | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20151122042717/http://www.redbull.com/en/games/stories/1331724214226/cities-skylines-interview | archive-date =22 November 2015 | url-status =live }}
The best-known game of the company{{Cite web | url =http://www.marmai.fi/uutiset/colossal+order+liittyi+rovion+ja+supercellin+joukkoon/a2328819 | title =Colossal Order liittyi Rovion ja Supercellin joukkoon | trans-title =Colossal Order Joined Rovio and Supercell | language =fi | last = | date =30 October 2015 | location = | publisher =Markkinoint&Mainonta | format = | quote = | access-date =21 November 2015 | page = | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160216103204/http://www.marmai.fi/uutiset/colossal+order+liittyi+rovion+ja+supercellin+joukkoon/a2328819 | archive-date =16 February 2016 | url-status =dead }} is the city-building game Cities: Skylines published on March 10, 2015. It competes with games of the SimCity and Cities XL series. A total of 14 expansion packs, 22 content packs and 23 music packs were released for the game.
Cities: Skylines II was announced on March 6, 2023 and released on October 24, 2023 for Windows.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdD66WGBVHM |title=
=List of games=
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://colossalorder.fi/}}
{{Portal bar|Companies|Finland|Video games}}
{{Colossal Order}}
Category:Video game companies established in 2009
Category:Video game companies of Finland
Category:Video game development companies