Summary
Paradox Tectonic, the studio in charge of the canceledLife by You, has been shut down by its holding company, Paradox Interactive.Life by Youhad been in the works for almost half a decade untilParadox Interactivedecided to cease its development completely.
Life by Youwas a highly anticipated life simulation game deemed as the first true rival toThe Sims. The title was first announced in March 2019 and was first scheduled to be released in September 2023. The game’s launch was postponed three times, with no new release date confirmed after the third delay. Finally, on June 17,Paradox Interactive confirmed the cancellation ofLife by You.
Now, Paradox Interactive has decided to shut down Paradox Tectonic, its wholly-owned California-based studio in charge ofLife by You. Tectonic employed 24 people andLife by Youwas meant to be the studio’s debut. “This is difficult and drastic news for our colleagues at Tectonic, who’ve worked hard onLife by You’s Early Access release,” said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive. “Sadly, with cancellation of their sole project we have to take the tough decision to close down the studio.We are deeply grateful for their hard work in trying to take Paradox into a new genre”.
Life by You Developer Paradox Tectonic Shuts Down
Life by Youplanned on using real-world languagesand aimed to simulate every second of characters' lives, which prompted the game to be dubbed as the first worthy rival to EA’sThe Sims. The game was ambitious and intended to revolutionize the life simulation genre.Life by You’s development was also led by Rod Humble, former EA EVP who previously acted as head ofThe Simsbefore leaving in 2010. However, following various reviews, Paradox Interactive decided that the game failed to meet expectations and ultimately ceased its development after almost half a decade in the works.
The closing of Paradox Tectonic comes not long afterParadox Interactive issued refunds for theirCities: Skylines 2DLCafter the expansion faced a very negative response from players. Had its launch been successful,Life by Youcould have meant redemption for the company.
In general, the company has taken several hits for months now. In October 2023, Paradox publishedThe Lamplighters League, a day one Xbox Game Pass title, only to label it a “big disappointment” after release. Two of Paradox’s upcoming games, the jail simPrison Architect 2and the RPGVampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, have also experienced many delays.Prison Architect 2eventually got a release date of September 3 while the latter is scheduled to launch in the fall. Still, fans of the jail sim are worried thatPrison Architect 2may not live up to its predecessor, which poses a challenge for Paradox.
