Why did Life By You get canceled?

Life By You was an exciting upcoming life sim game developed by Paradox Interactive, the developers of Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis. Despite the hype surrounding this title since early 2023, it has officially been canceled as of June 17.

This is devastating news for many, as this title was expected to offer a unique life sim experience to rival the ever-popular The Sims franchise. While it may seem sudden, this decision seems to have been a tough, albeit necessary one.

Why was Life By You canceled? Explained

The developers canceled Life By You because it did not meet the team’s expectations. According to a June 17 post by a member of the Paradox team, the devs felt that Life By You was missing crucial aspects and lacking in areas. While the team could have delayed the title once more, it has already been delayed twice and there was no clear sight of when it would be ready or if it would still be lacking after more time.

The team at Paradox said it understands how devastating and disappointing this is for the fans who were supporting Life By You because the devs are in the same boat. According to Paradox Interactive’s CEO Mattias Lilja, the mistakes made were “painfully apparent in hindsight.” As the team wanted to live up to the standards of creating a fun, engaging, and challenging games for players, canceling Life By You ended up being an unfortunate necessity as it did not meet expectations, and no amount of development would guarantee otherwise.

Although players are disappointed, many have mainly felt bad for the devs, with some stating this situation “has to be one of the most heartbreaking realizations a team can come to.” Others were grateful Paradox made this tough call because they’d rather Life By You be canceled than “be bummed about a game… in an unplayable state.”

While it is sad to see The Sims rival game canceled, and it must be a horrible feeling for the devs, this sounds like it was the best call for Paradox in the long run.