‘Sims’ rival ‘Life By You’ delayed indefinitely

Paradox Interactive has confirmed that their life simulator game Life By You has been delayed indefinitely.

The Sims rival was officially unveiled last year, with development headed up by former Sims studio head Rod Humble. Originally the game was pencilled in for a summer 2023 Early Access release but the studio delayed the launch to March 2024 to ensure the game was a “more well-rounded experience”.

Earlier this year, Life By You was delayed by another three months to allow developers time to “refine the visuals for its human characters and further improve gameplay”. At the start of May, Paradox confirmed Life By You would definitely be ready for its Early Access launch on June 4 but two-weeks out, the studio has now delayed the game indefinitely.

“After much consideration, we regret to announce that we have decided to retract Life by You’s Early Access release date, previously set for June 4,” said a statement from Paradox’s deputy CEO Mattias Lilja.

An update on “Life By You” Early Access release date.
👇https://t.co/IqzOYhrBbs

— Paradox Interactive (@PdxInteractive) May 20, 2024

“This was not an easy decision, especially since we understand the anticipation and excitement that many players have for the game. However, we believe that additional development time is needed.”

“While we would have preferred to commit to a new release window, we believe it is more prudent to hold off while we plan ahead, rather than committing to a new date that we cannot be certain to meet,” the statement continued, with the studio promising to share more info as soon as possible and thanking fans for their continued support.

Humble has previously described Life By You as “the biggest life-sim ever made,” with the game designed as “a modern-day fantasy where players can be whomever they wish, in a world of their own making.”

The Steam listing for the game reads: “Designed to be one of the most open world and moddable life-simulation games, we look forward to the humans, stories, and creations that you’ll make with Life By You.” Earlier this month, Paradox confirmed modders and content creators can monetise their Life By You creations, without restrictions. “You don’t owe us a dime – go for it,” encouraged Humble.

In other news, Ubisoft’s free-to-play shooter XDefiant has finally launched after numerous delays, with players experiencing issues with matchmaking.