Life by You

Life by You
Life by You
Developer(s)	Paradox Tectonic
Publisher(s)	Paradox Interactive
Director(s)	Rod Humble
Platform(s)	Windows
Release	Cancelled
Genre(s)	Life simulation
Mode(s)	Single-player

Life by You is a cancelled life simulation game developed by the now-closed Paradox Tectonic studio for Paradox Interactive.

Gameplay

Some gameplay elements were demoed before the game's early access release. Life by You would have included divergent game mechanics, where player choices might not always have the same result. Characters also spoke in English and had multiple dialogue choices.^[1]

The developers also introduced a significant amount of detail, shown when characters left their clothes on the floor or when they cut flowers from a garden and were then able to arrange those same flowers in a vase.^[1]

Development

Life by You was the debut title for Paradox Tectonic, which was founded in March 2019.^[2] The game's development was being led by former Executive Vice President of EA Play and Head of The Sims Label Rod Humble.^[3] The game was teased on March 6, 2023,^[4] and the first full trailer was published on March 20, 2023. The game's early access release was delayed three times, missing its initial release date of September 12, 2023, its second target of March 5, 2024, and its last date of June 4, 2024.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Cancellation

On June 17, 2024, Paradox announced that it had cancelled the game.^[8] When speaking about the release, Paradox Interactive CEO Fredrik Wester stated "For a long time, we’ve held hopes for Life by You and the potential we saw in it, but it is now clear that the game will not be able to meet our expectations. A version that we’d be satisfied with is too far away, and therefore we are taking the difficult decision to cancel the release. Moving forward, we should perform at a much higher level, and it’s obvious that we have work ahead of us".^[9] Paradox Tectonic was subsequently closed down the next day.^[10]

Paradox took a $19.2 million write-down on development costs for the game and reported a 90% drop in profit for the second quarter of 2024 as a result.^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b Wolens, Joshua (August 30, 2023). "Life By You looks like The Sims with its brakes cut, and if it doesn't shake apart it could be something very special". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
^ O'Connor, Alice (March 7, 2019). "New Paradox studio led by former Sims boss Rod Humble". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
^ Morton, Lauren (March 6, 2023). "Former Sims studio head is now making a competing game called Life By You". PC Gamer. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^ Wales, Matt (March 6, 2023). "Paradox teases Sims-like Life By You from former head of The Sims". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
^ Bellingham, Hope (March 20, 2023). "Paradox's The Sims rival Life by You gets September early access release". GamesRadar. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
^ Romano, Sal (July 26, 2023). "Life by You Early Access delayed to March 5, 2024". Gematsu. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
^ Morton, Lauren (May 20, 2024). "Just 2 weeks before its early access release, Life By You is delayed again, this time without a new date". PC Gamer. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
^ "Life By You is Cancelled". Paradox Interactive Forums. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
^ "Paradox Interactive cancels the release of Life by You which impacts the second quarter with MSEK 208 in a write-down" (Press release). Paradox Interactive. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
^ "Paradox Interactive to close down Paradox Tectonic" (Press release). Paradox Interactive. June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
^ McEvoy, Sophie (July 26, 2024). "Paradox Interactive profits drop 90% due to Life By You cancellation". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved July 26, 2024.

External links

Official website

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[pcgamer-1] Wolens, Joshua (August 30, 2023). "Life By You looks like The Sims with its brakes cut, and if it doesn't shake apart it could be something very special". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 19, 2024.

[2] O'Connor, Alice (March 7, 2019). "New Paradox studio led by former Sims boss Rod Humble". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved April 1, 2023.

[3] Morton, Lauren (March 6, 2023). "Former Sims studio head is now making a competing game called Life By You". PC Gamer. Retrieved March 6, 2023.

[4] Wales, Matt (March 6, 2023). "Paradox teases Sims-like Life By You from former head of The Sims". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 6, 2023.

[5] Bellingham, Hope (March 20, 2023). "Paradox's The Sims rival Life by You gets September early access release". GamesRadar. Retrieved April 1, 2023.

[6] Romano, Sal (July 26, 2023). "Life by You Early Access delayed to March 5, 2024". Gematsu. Retrieved July 26, 2023.

[7] Morton, Lauren (May 20, 2024). "Just 2 weeks before its early access release, Life By You is delayed again, this time without a new date". PC Gamer. Retrieved May 21, 2024.

[8] "Life By You is Cancelled". Paradox Interactive Forums. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.

[9] "Paradox Interactive cancels the release of Life by You which impacts the second quarter with MSEK 208 in a write-down" (Press release). Paradox Interactive. June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2024.

[10] "Paradox Interactive to close down Paradox Tectonic" (Press release). Paradox Interactive. June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.

[11] McEvoy, Sophie (July 26, 2024). "Paradox Interactive profits drop 90% due to Life By You cancellation". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved July 26, 2024.

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