In an unusually candid post on the Paradox Interactive forums, Deputy CEO Mattias Lilja announced that the company is canceling Life by You after several setbacks. The announcement comes after last month’s early access release was canceled, marking the third delay for the sim that had its sights set squarely on EA’s The Sims.
According to Lilja’s post, the game had some promising elements, but those weren’t enough to overcome its weaker points and the difficulty of meeting Paradox’s standards.
What’s caused the delay?
A few weeks back, we decided to hold off on an Early Access release in order to re-evaluate Life by You, as we still felt that the game was lacking in some key areas. Though a time extension was an option, once we took that pause to get a wider view of the game, it became clear to us that the road leading to a release that we felt confident about was far too long and uncertain. This is not to say the game has not shown any promising qualities; Life by You had a number of strengths and the hard work of a dedicated team that went into realizing them. However, when we come to a point where we believe that more time will not get us close enough to a version we would be satisfied with, then we believe it is better to stop. This is obviously tough and disappointing for everyone who poured their time and enthusiasm into this project, especially when our decision comes so late in the process.
Lilja wraps up his post by saying that it’s the company’s responsibility to its community to release “games that are fun, interesting, and challenging.” Apparently, Life by You wasn’t that game. As a result, the company is taking a “long and hard look at what led us here” to see where improvements can be made going forward.
Check out the Life by You post on the Paradox forums.
