Obliterating Life By You From Devs Perspective; „You Can Deliver More Than Expected and Still Have the Rug Pulled Two Weeks Before Launch”
The shutdown of the Life By You developers' studio didn't surprise a former employee, but he still wasn't thrilled with Paradox's sudden decision.
The cancellation of Life By You didn't please fans of life simulators and Paradox, even though it was clearly not a surprise. Former Paradox Tectonic employees are also not thrilled, at least judging by the former dev's entry Life By You after the sudden cancellation of the project and the dissolution of the team creating it (via Reddit / LinkedIn).
Results above expectations aren't enough
Willem Delventhal is an employee of Paradox Tectonic, whose developer was shut down along with the abandonment of LBY. The dev says that although he expected the studio to close, the team was doing "really well."
The company not only met all the thresholds but actually exceeded them by a significant margin, regarding the internal production progress indicator. Tectonic also got the publisher's green light to launch the game in early access, planned for June 4th.
However, 2 weeks before the premiere, the team found out that their game wouldn't be released as planned. Yes, 2 weeks, which is the same time as players waiting for Life By You. Employees learned about it from the public announcement of Paradox.
Moreover, the publisher didn't respond to the developer's proposals to sell the studio to another company or allow it to operate independently. Paradox Tectonic employees were kept in suspense for a month until yesterday's announcement of the team's closure.
Paradox Tectonic like Tango Gameworks?
Delventhal isn't eager to use fiery words, but he definitely expressed his disappointment. According to him, the story of Life By You demonstrates that even with the support of a reliable publisher, one can outperform expectations in the gaming industry, yet this doesn't guarantee the future of the studio.
Really I'd like to be much more fire and brimstone about it. I'm pretty pissed, not gonna lie. But I'm trying to stay kind and respectful. So instead I'll say: this industry has become a place in which you can deliver more than expected, have AA money behind you, and still have the rug pulled two weeks before launch.
The former dev doesn't mention it directly, but it's difficult not to associate his statement with the shutdown of Tango Gameworks by Microsoft. The studio closed down despite the warm reception of Hi-Fi Rush.
Of course, such a comparison is somewhat exaggerated. Players had serious doubts whether Life By You would actually be a strong competitor for the The Sims series, since the materials presented so far showed (according to internet users) a game that was too raw, even for early access. Especially when other life simulators are lurking on the horizon, such as InZOI, Paralives, Vivaland, and above all Project Rene (the new Sims).
