The creative director of Life By You, Rod Humble, said that there is no reason for modders to ask for permission if they want to monetize their creations.
Humble was recently interviewed and he was seen taking a totally permissive view of modding in general. He said that player creativity is good for them even if they do not make a dime because they were made using their game.
Life By You Allows Monetization of Mods
(Photo : Paradox Interactive / Screenshot taken from official website)
He said that if players want to make a YouTube series using Life By You, they do not owe them anything for whatever monetization they get. Humble said that this would include players who make a mod and place it on a website to start profiting from it, such as using Patreon.
Humble's view on monetization comes as he had previously worked as the head of The Sims and Second Life. While he may not have made any mentions, his take is a much more relaxed view than the current Sims modding policy that Electronic Arts has set, according to PCGamer.
EA's policy only allows ad-supported download sites and using Patreon to offer "an early access incentive for a reasonable amount of time" but never to permanently paywall mods. The Sims modding community has experienced rising tensions due to the clarification of that policy.
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Paying money for mods has always been a somewhat contentious topic, and even more so when developers or storefronts get involved in the issue. The approach that Life By You's Humble takes is just to completely step away from the equation as much as possible.
With this, modders of the game can sell their work however they like and the choice of whether or not it is worth it is left for them and the community to decide. Humble also said that this has been a benefit of working with strategy and simulation publisher Paradox Interactive. He believes that it is aligned in its attitude towards modders.
Creating a Larger-Than-Life Genre
Players who are looking forward to diving into Life By You's world and all of its mods will have to wait a little bit longer. The game is set to release for early access on June 4, 2024, after it was delayed by three months as the origins schedule was February, said NME.
Humble also said, "We don't want anybody who creates content for our game to think that we would ever be a problem. It's your game. It's your toolset. You call the characters whatever you want." He added that players do not represent their brand but instead their own.
He also discussed why he believes that life sims have surged in popularity in recent years, saying that life sims are so big and will only get bigger. He argued that it is an inclusive game genre that any person can use to tell their own stories that are based on real life.
While Maxis' The Sims has been the default go-to for life sim games since the early 2000s, there are more games that will give it a run for its money. Other titles include Paralives by Alex Masse which is set to release next year, according to GamesRadar.
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