Following multiple delays, Paradox Interactive has cancelled its Sim-like game, Life By You.
Announcing the cancellation last night, deputy CEO Mattias Lilja called this decision “difficult”, stating it was a “clear failure on Paradox’s part to meet both our own and the community’s expectations”.
Lilja went on to explain why the studio ultimately decided to cancel its release, rather than continuing to delay Life by You further. The exec said while “a time extension was an option”, it eventually became clear “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 realising 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,” the deputy CEO wrote.
Lilja said Life by You’s cancellation was “tough and disappointing for everyone who poured their time and enthusiasm into this project”, particularly given how far into the process the game was.
“At the end of the day, our job is to release games that are fun, interesting, and challenging for our players, and our every decision should be taken with that purpose in mind. When we get that right, we earn our pay,” Paradox’s exec continued.
“So, how do we ensure we don’t find ourselves here again? Honestly, there are no real guarantees. Games are difficult to get right, and we’ll definitely make mistakes, which, as these things go, always become painfully apparent in hindsight, but still shouldn’t reach this kind of magnitude regardless. We have to take a long and hard look at what led us here and see what changes we have to make to become better. In the end, our mission remains the same, and we’ll continue to take whatever steps we need to do just that.”
It has been a rough time for Paradox recently. In addition to news of Life by You’s cancellation, back in April, the company along with developer Colossal Order issued a stark apology for the state of Cities: Skylines 2 and the release of its recent DLC, admitting to fans: “We let you down”. The companies refunded those who purchased the DLC.
Then, in May, Paradox parted ways with Prison Architect 2 developer Double Eleven after nine years. It cited not being able to “find a commercial agreement that worked for both parties” as the reason for this split.
