The Sims 4, even if it is not planned for right away, can take a big breath after the terrible cancellation of its main direct competitor. A rather sad story nonetheless.
We know that we had entered a period where the life simulation game The Sims 4 had a lot of problems with many competitors on the market, both in the West and in Asia. Enough, in any case, to give a hard time in a niche market where EA has always been the king. Today we hear news along these lines.
Terrible news for this Sims competitor
Thus, Paradox Interactive recently announced the cancellation of its life simulation game, Life by You, which was presented as a direct competitor to EA’s Sims. Mattias Lilja, Deputy General Manager of Paradox Interactive, communicated this decision via the official Paradox forums. This announcement follows an indefinite postponement of the game’s early access release on Steam, initially announced in May.
Explaining the reasons for this cancellation, Lilja clarified that, despite gradual improvements following various delays, the game was still far from reaching a level of quality satisfactory for the company. “A few weeks ago, we decided to pause the Early Access release in order to re-evaluate Life by You, because we felt that the game still had significant shortcomings,” Lilja wrote. “Although a deadline extension was considered, an overview of the project convinced us that the road to a quality release was too long and uncertain.”
It is important to note that Lilja did not completely discredit the game, recognizing the significant efforts and strengths developed by the dedicated team. “VSThis is not to say that the game showed no promising qualities; ‘Life by You’ had a number of strong points and the hard work of a dedicated team who were committed to making them happen,” he added. “However, when we get to a point where we believe that more time won’t get us close enough to a satisfactory version, we think it’s best to stop. This is obviously difficult and disappointing for everyone who has invested their time and enthusiasm in this project, especially when our decision comes so late in the process.“
A very sad choice
The impact of this cancellation on the Paradox Tectonic development team remains to be determined. Paradox Interactive is expected to provide more details on this in the coming days and weeks. Enthusiasts and industry observers eagerly await these updates. What is certain is that the publisher seems to want at all costs to avoid a Cities Skylines 2, with its numerous problems which plagued the game upon release.
This decision by Paradox Interactive raises several questions about the challenges of developing life simulation games, a genre that is particularly demanding in terms of content and features. The inevitable comparisons to The Sims, a well-established and immensely popular franchise, set a very high bar for any newcomer. Paradox Interactive’s transparency regarding the status of the project and their desire to prioritize quality over commercial deadlines is to be welcomed. This shows an awareness of high player expectations and responsible management of projects, even if it involves difficult decisions like canceling a game in development.
