“A quite beautiful compromise”: The LEGO Skylines devs did consider brick by brick building, but decided it was too much fuss for players
LEGO Skylines, the upcoming city-builder from Iceflake Studios and Paradox Interactive, represents a deliberate design compromise. Developers initially considered implementing brick-by-brick building mechanics—where players would manually place individual LEGO bricks—but ultimately rejected this approach as too cumbersome for players.
Instead, the game adopts a streamlined building system that maintains the LEGO aesthetic while prioritizing accessibility typical of traditional city-builders. This design philosophy allows players to focus on urban planning and layout rather than brick-placement minutiae. A preview build demonstrated this in action, with players able to construct circular highway layouts with coffee shops, residential areas, farms, and playgrounds, all rendered in LEGO’s distinctive visual style.
The developers, having worked on Cities: Skylines 2 and Surviving the Aftermath, bring established city-building expertise to the franchise partnership. While the full scope of brick-related mechanics remains undisclosed, the revealed design direction suggests LEGO Skylines will use brick-based theming and construction concepts in a more accessible format than authentic LEGO brick assembly would allow.