Iceflake Studios
Subsidiary
IndustryVideo games
FoundedSeptember 7, 2007 (age 19)
Founders
  • Lasse Liljedahl
  • Tapani Valkonen
ParentParadox Interactive (2020-)
Hq location cityTampere
Hq location countryFinland
Key peopleLasse Liljedahl (CEO)
Websitehttps://www.iceflake.com

Iceflake Studios (registered as Iceflake Studios Oy) is a Finnish video game development studio that was founded in Tampere, Finland in 2007, and was acquired by Paradox Interactive in 2020. They have developed games for desktop, mobile, and console, as well as modifications to games. They are primarily known for developing Surviving the Aftermath, and taking over development of Cities: Skylines II in early 2026.

History

Iceflake Studios was co-founded by Lasse Liljedahl and Tapani Valkonen on September 7, 2007 in Tampere, Finland.[1][2] Prior to their founding, they developed a game modification for Battlefield 1942 called FinnWars. They initially developed small mobile games varying from golf and pool, to a puzzle game named Pirate Treasure, and a platforming game named Panzer Jumper.[3] Their first non-mobile game, Ice Lakes, was released on Steam in 2016.[4]

Surviving the Aftermath

Main article: Surviving the Aftermath

Surviving the Aftermath was Iceflake Studios' first game to receive a metacritic score, receiving mixed reviews.[5] Paradox Interactive, the game's publisher, posted a teaser for the game on October 7, 2019. It was announced to be in early access on October 19, 2019 at PDXCON,[6] and was publicly released on November 16, 2021.[7] In March 2023 Paradox announced Rebirth, the third DLC expansion pack for Surviving the Aftermath.[8]

Paradox acquisition

On July 17, 2020, Paradox announced they would be acquiring Iceflake Studios, making it their ninth internal studio.[1][9]

Charlotta Nilsson, the COO of Paradox at the time, said "The collaborative efforts ... with Iceflake have given us all the confidence that this is a natural fit. Surviving the Aftermath fits the Paradox portfolio perfectly" within the announcement of the acquisition.[10]

Cities: Skylines II transfer

Main article: Cities: Skylines II

On November 17, 2025, Paradox announced that they and Colossal Order, original developer of Cities: Skylines II, would mutually "pursue independent paths".[11] As a result, development of Cities: Skylines II moved to Iceflake at the beginning of 2026.[12][13]

The announcement disclosed that Iceflake would be responsible for the planned console releases, though Paradox did not announce a delay nor an anticipated release window.[14] Some speculate this separation was influenced by Cities: Skylines II's poor release, reception, and ongoing development issues with Colossal.[15]

Paradox's CEO at the time, Mattias Lilja, stated in the announcement they "...have deep respect for the Colossal Order team and we look forward to seeing where they go from here".[15]

Games

List of games

YearTitlePublisherPlatform(s)
2012Epic Speed Pro[3]Iceflake StudiosAndroid, Windows Phone
2012Panzer Jumper[3]Windows Phone
2013Pirate Treasure[3]Windows Phone, Android, iOS
2013Premium Pool[3]Windows Phone, Windows 8
2014Pirates Don't Run[3][16]Windows 8, Android, iOS
2014Premium Minigolf[3]Windows Phone
2014Target Horizon[3]Android
2016Ice Lakes[3][4][17]Windows, MacOS, Linux
2017Race Arcade[3][18]Windows, MacOS, Linux, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
2017Premium Pool Arena[19][20]Windows, MacOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
2021Surviving the Aftermath[6]Paradox InteractiveWindows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
2026Cities: Skylines II[21]Windows, planned for Xbox Series X and Series S and PS5

References

  1. ^ "Paradox Interactive Acquires Finland-based Iceflake Studios". Paradox Interactive. July 17, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  2. ^ "YTJ Tietopalvelu" (in Finnish). YTJ Tietopalvelu. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  3. ^ "Iceflake Studios". Iceflake Studios. Archived February 6, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  4. ^ Bower, Amanda (2016-08-01). "Ice Lakes, by Iceflake Studios - An Indie Game Review". Indie Game Reviewer - The Best Indie Games. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
  5. ^ "Surviving the Aftermath critic reviews". Metacritic. June 10, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  6. ^ Crowley, Nate (October 19, 2019). "Surviving the Aftermath is out now". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  7. ^ Brown, Andy (October 27, 2021). "'Surviving The Aftermath' trailer reveals full launch date for the apocalyptic title". NME. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  8. ^ GiN, Special to (March 31, 2023). "Paradox Interactive Launches Their Third Expansion for Surviving the Aftermath". Game Industry News. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  9. ^ Goh, Clement (July 17, 2020). "Paradox Interactive buys Iceflake Studios.". CGMagazine. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  10. ^ Romano, Sal (July 17, 2020). "Paradox Interactive acquires Surviving the Aftermath developer Iceflake Studios". Gematsu. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  11. ^ "An Update on Cities: Skylines II". Paradox Interactive Forums. November 17, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  12. ^ Dawe, Liam (November 17, 2025). "Colossal Order and Paradox Interactive split with Cities: Skylines going to a new developer". GamingOnLinux. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  13. ^ Erskine, Donovan (November 17, 2025). "Cities: Skylines development moves to Iceflake Studios". Shacknews. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  14. ^ Carcasole, David (November 17, 2025). "Colossal Order Is Splitting From Paradox Interactive and Leaving Cities Skylines Behind, Iceflake Studios Will Take Over". Wccftech. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  15. ^ Coulson, Josh (November 17, 2025). "The Cities: Skylines Series Will Live On Under A New Studio Following The Sequel's Rocky Launch". TheGamer. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  16. ^ "Pirates Don't Run Windows, iOS, iPad, Android, AndroidTab game". ModDB. March 21, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  17. ^ Jagneaux, David (2016-10-28). "'Ice Lakes' Isn't The VR Fishing Game of Your Dreams, But It's Surprisingly Deep". UploadVR. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
  18. ^ Watton, Neil (2017-08-16). "Race Arcade Review". TheXboxHub. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
  19. ^ "Review: Premium Pool Arena (Nintendo Switch) – Digitally Downloaded". 2018-02-21. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
  20. ^ "New Nintendo Switch Games This Week Include Dragon Quest Builders". GameSpot. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
  21. ^ Steam (6 March 2023). "Cities Skylines II on Steam". Steam. Retrieved 6 March 2023.