Lego Skylines’ devs want your city’s problems to be visible without digging into a stats screen, which means finding a “family friendly” version of showing homelessness
Lego Skylines, a brick-themed spinoff of Cities: Skylines in development at Iceflake Studios, is implementing a design philosophy to make city management problems immediately visible to players without requiring navigation through overlays or statistical screens.
According to game director Lasse Liljedahl, the studio wants issues in the game world to be apparent at first glance, allowing players to address problems organically as they occur. This represents a departure from the original Cities: Skylines, where some problems—such as traffic jams—are immediately obvious, while others require active investigation through UI menus.
A notable challenge the developers are facing involves depicting homelessness in a way that remains appropriate for the game’s family-friendly Lego aesthetic. The team is working to balance realism in city simulation with the tone and values expected from a Lego-branded product.
This design approach aims to improve gameplay accessibility and engagement by giving players immediate visual feedback about their city’s state, encouraging more intuitive decision-making and management strategies.