Complex role-playing games like the potential Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 3 do not fit into Paradox Interactive’s strategy, unlike life simulators, despite the bitter experience with Life by You.
Image source: Steam (ms.niki_andoline)
Let’s remember that Life by You was developed under the leadership of former curator of The Sims Rod Humble. Early Access was delayed three times, and Paradox eventually canceled the project because it felt it couldn’t live up to its expectations.
At the same time, according to the project’s former game designer Willem Delventhal, Life by You exceeded internal goals, and the Paradox Tectonic team was never given any clear reasons for the cancellation.
Screenshot from Life by You (image source: Paradox Interactive)
Paradox deputy CEO Mattias Lilja told PC Gamer that Life by You could “definitely” exceed all of the team’s internal goals, but the problem was that the game was “uncompetitive.”
Lilya’s biggest regret with Life by You was that Paradox didn’t decide to cancel the game sooner: “That’s the problem with working outside of your core competency. It’s harder to know when to end.”
Also Life by You (image source: Paradox Interactive)
Lilja added that Paradox should give life simulators another chance, despite the failure of Life by You, but should approach the project from a different angle: start with something “smaller.”
«I think the idea of us creating a life simulator makes sense. It will fit perfectly into our foundations. This is a look at life simulators from Paradox,” creative director Henrik Fåhraeus concluded matter-of-factly.