My passion for city-building games goes back, in my memory, to 1989 with Sim City. I was just a kid, fascinated by the idea of building a city from scratch — watching it breathe, grow, and sometimes fall apart. Since then, I’ve never really stopped.

I went through Theme Park, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Transport Tycoon, CitiesXL, Planet Coaster, Transport Fever... basically anything that let me create worlds that felt rich and alive. What I love are the details: people going to work, buses crossing paths, districts slowly coming to life. That’s where the magic happens.

In real life, my name is Chris, a graphic designer based in Bordeaux. But in the world of Cities: Skylines, most people know me as Gruny. I started creating assets in 2018 — just three cubes and a flat roof. Nothing fancy. Small shops, simple buildings you could place with MoveIt. But, to my surprise, the community loved it. Other creators gave me tips, I learned, I improved. And above all, I got a huge kick out of seeing my creations appear in other people’s cities.