Paradox Interactive Cancels Life Simulation Game Life by You

If you enjoy independent indie game coverage, consider supporting Indie-Games.eu on Patreon. It helps keep the site independent.

Well, it finally happened. For a long time, no one really knew what would become of Life by You, a game that promised to be a serious competitor to The Sims franchise, but it seems all that effort has gone down the drain. To recap, the game had been delayed three times before being given an indefinite release date a few months ago.

The reason for the cancellation is the game’s inability to meet Paradox’s expectations. Whatever that means and whatever state the game was in, we’re waiting for a few more details to surface. According to Paradox, the move will negatively impact the company’s financial results for Q2 2024 by 17 million euros, which is a massive chunk of revenue.

For those unfamiliar, this was an ambitious project led by Rod Humble, known for his work on hits like The Sims and Second Life. It was supposed to be the most moddable open-life simulator yet, giving players the freedom to create their characters and live their lives without any loading screens.

“We’ve long hoped for the success of Life by You and the potential we saw in it, but it’s now clear that the game will not be able to meet our expectations. A version we’d be satisfied with is too far away, and so we’re making the difficult decision to cancel this title. We should be performing at a much higher level, and it’s obvious that a lot of work lies ahead of us,” said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive.