Paradox Interactive is officially canceling its Sims-like game Life by You
Paradox Interactive has officially canceled it Sims-like life simulation game, Living through you.
The announcement comes from Paradox deputy CEO Mattias Lilja, who said the decision to cancel the highly anticipated game was “an incredibly difficult decision and a clear failure by Paradox to meet both our own and the community’s expectations.”
Living through you was first announced in May 2023, with an early access release planned for September of the same year. The launch was later postponed until May 2024, before Paradox announced in February that it had been postponed again until June 4.
However, with just two weeks before release, the developer postponed it again but did not provide a release date.
Lilja explained in the announcement post that every delay Paradox made allowed the team to see “incremental improvements,” but in retrospect “may have led to us focusing on the details rather than the whole picture.
“A few weeks ago, we decided to delay an Early Access release to re-evaluate Life by You as we still felt the game was falling short in a number of key areas,” the CEO continued. “While an extension of time was an option, once we took that pause to get a broader picture of the game, it became clear to us that the path to a release we were confident in was going to take a lot was too long and uncertain.
“This is not to say that the game has not shown promising qualities; Life by You had a number of strengths and the hard work of a dedicated team made them happen. But when we get to a point where we believe that more If time doesn’t bring us close enough to a version that we would be satisfied with, we think it’s better to stop. This is obviously difficult and disappointing for everyone who has invested their time and enthusiasm in this project, especially when our decision comes so late in the process.”
Lilja did not provide details on the problems the team faced, but added that “games are difficult to make” and there is no guarantee that the team will not find themselves in this position again.
“We need to look long and hard at what led us here and see what changes we need to make to get better,” Lilja said. “Ultimately, our mission remains the same, and we will continue to take whatever steps are necessary to do just that.”