Following a delay only two weeks ahead of its planned release in Early Access, the life sim Life by You was abruptly canceled by publisher Paradox Interactive and developer Paradox Tectonic in June. The title was planned for release on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store and was said to rival The Sims in quality and scope.
Two months later, Paradox hasn’t explained why the project was canceled, but some new images of the game have surfaced online thanks to former artists and devs sharing them via their portfolios. While the images aren’t too different visually from the most recent gameplay trailer, this isn’t too surprising, as the game was (supposedly) close to being released.
In a statement after the game’s cancelation, Paradox Interactive deputy CEO Mattias Lilja explained the reason why Life by You‘s early access release was initially delayed.
“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,” Lilja continues.
“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.”
One dev took to LinkedIn the following day, explaining that the team was blindsided by the game’s cancelation.
“We were only informed of this via a public announcement. This industry has become a place in which you can deliver more than expected, have AA money behind you, and still have the rug pulled two weeks before launch.”
