Who could’ve seen this coming?
Following the sudden cancellation of Paradox Interactive’s ambitious Sims-esque game “Life by You,” which came unexpectedly after three separate delays for its early access release, Paradox Interactive has confirmed the closure of the internal studio behind the project, Paradox Tectonic.
Paradox Tectonic, a 24-person team led by Rod Humble, former Sims boss and CEO of Second Life studio Linden Labs—was unveiled in 2019. However, it wasn’t until last March that its first game, “Life by You,” was formally announced.
The game was scheduled to launch in early access on three separate occasions, with the final release date set for June 4th. However, it was subsequently delayed indefinitely and eventually canceled as Paradox Interactive felt the game would not meet expectations.
This was evident if you closely examined the announcement trailer and the in-game screenshots provided by Paradox. “Life by You” appeared overly ambitious for the small team. Visually, it looked immensely dated, resembling The Sims 4, which was released nearly a decade ago.
News of Paradox Tectonic’s closure was shared in a statement from Paradox Interactive CEO Fredrik Wester on the company’s website.
“This is difficult and drastic news for our colleagues at Tectonic, who’ve worked hard on Life by You’s Early Access release,” Wester wrote. “Sadly, with the 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.”
Their sole game looked lackluster at best and ugly at worst. In today’s game development landscape, characterized by absurdly long development times and monstrous budgets, this isn’t the only game to be scrapped before release within the past year.
Video games are no longer a sustainable enterprise. Despite Larry Fink and his ESG hedge fund agenda, BlackRock is losing billions. Forced compliance with ethical investing is causing funds to collapse, and skyrocketing development costs are making sustainability in the industry increasingly difficult unless producing smaller, low-cost titles.
“Life by You” looked terrible, and its development was clearly troubled. With three delays from its early access release, it was evident the game wasn’t even polished enough for an early access launch. The team at Paradox Tectonic appeared incompetent and not up to the task, costing Paradox Interactive more money until the decision was made to cancel the game and close the studio.
The gaming industry has seen a monumental purge in recent years. Paradox Tectonic joins other studios shuttered by the likes of Microsoft, Take-Two Interactive, and Sony, which closed its own London Studio. “Life by You’s” cancellation is the latest in a series of high-profile disasters for Paradox, including the troubled development of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, a disgusting progressive continuation of a cult classic.
Their commercial failure of 2023’s “The Lamplighters’ League” resulted in a split with developer Harebrained Schemes, and the prematurely launch of Cities: Skylines 2 last October.
Consumer confidence in Paradox is at an all time low, their upcoming and repeatedly delayed “Prison Architect 2” has also been shaken following its decision to part ways with long-running series developer Double Eleven, suggesting Paradox’s troubles might not be over yet.
Hopefully Paradox Interactive will join their brethren sooner rather than later.
