Publisher Paradox Interactive has cancelled Life By You, an in-development life simulator meant to rival EA’s The Sims. In a surprising turn of events, the publisher scrapped the exciting PC game despite huge support from fans.
With The Sims 5 still years away, Life By You promised an exciting alternative. Originally slated for Early Access in 2023, the game was delayed to March 2024, then pushed back again to a June release date. Now, it’s been cancelled altogether.
In a post on the Paradox Forums, Deputy CEO Mattias Lilja confirmed the cancellation of the Life By You project. Lilja admitted the project’s cancellation was a “clear failure on Paradox’s part to meet both our own and the community’s expectations.”
“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,” the deputy CEO told fans. “Though a time extension was an option, once we paused to get a wider view of the game, it became clear to us that the road leading to a release we felt confident about was far too long and uncertain.”
Paradox Interactive has faced controversy over the past few years. In addition to the constant delays and now the cancellation of Life By You, Paradox has been criticised for the poor release of Cities Skylines 2 and the end of support for its RTS game Star Trek Infinite.
Previously excited fans have expressed their disappointment at the news of Life By You’s cancellation. Some fans have even vowed never to purchase a game from the publisher again.
“This is the biggest disappointment, and I have to say after all of this being strung along,” one fan said. “I will never support another PDX game ever again.”
“So Paradox currently can't keep the games they have out working and can't bring out new games. Sinking ship?” another fan said.
Thankfully, Life By You isn’t the only Sims competitor. Multiple other games inspired by EA’s long-lasting life simulator are currently in development. InZOI, a game developed by Krafton, is a more realistic-looking life simulator in development for PC and is expected to be released in late 2024. Furthermore, the indie game Paralives aims to be released on PC in Early Access sometime in 2025.