Paradox Interactive has once again delayed the release date for its Sims competitor simulator game, Life By You, and has not committed to a new official launch window.
The studio has now said that the reason for the latest delay is due to "additional development" being needed. It also noted that it does not want to commit to a new release date that it "cannot be certain to meet."
Life By You Delayed Again
(Photo : Paradox Interactive / Screenshot taken from official website)
The news marks the third time that Life By You has been delayed after it was first announced in March last year.
The studio had promised a game with a fully open world with no loading screens, "real language conversation," digital humans that players can optionally control directly, and plenty of customization options.
The game also originally featured a bland art style that immediately drew criticism from the public and was the reason that it was delayed for the first time.
Instead of releasing Life By You into PC early access last September, Paradox Interactive said it would delay the launch to March this year, according to Eurogamer.
However, Paradox Interactive announced a second delay in February, pushing the game's release date to June 4, 2024. The studio said that the decision was made to make sure that the game was as smooth and fun as possible. But only two weeks left before that date, another delay has been announced.
In its latest announcement, the studio said that after much consideration, they decided to retract Life By You's early access release date. It added that this was not an easy decision, particularly because they understand the anticipation of players and the excitement that they have to play the game.
Read Also: Dave the Diver is Collaborating With Guilty Gear Strive, But Only for Nintendo Switch
Paradox Interactive continued to say that while they wanted to push through with the latest release date, they would hold off as they plan ahead. The game's series of delays comes amid a seemingly turbulent time for the studio and its other titles.
These include Cities: Skylines 2, which has had a relatively difficult launch and the developers warned players to "manage expectations on performance."
The city-building game's first DLC which was released in March was also a disaster that prompted Paradox Interactive to apologize and offer refunds, said PCGamer.
Paradox Interactive's Woes
Following the widespread discontent with the game, the developer, Colossal Order, issued an apology and made the Beach Properties DLC free. The new content pack drew ire from players after it was found that it had no real beach houses included.
A letter by Paradox Interactive showed what fans can expect moving forward, including a "complete focus on improving the base game and modding tools." They also committed to better community involvement in choosing priorities for the game.
For players who are eager to see the game on consoles despite the relatively negative feedback, the letter also offered an update. It noted that a build delivery in April aimed to show sufficient optimization progress to move ahead and gave a targeted release for October.
For now, the combination of plans and actions taken seem to be reasonable ways to make sure that their work will meet fans' expectations. There is also a good amount of positive feedback on the forum post, which is a good sign, according to Ars Technica.
Related Article: Lootun Takes Idle RPGs to the Next Level with Active Gameplay, Visual Charm
