Life By You, Paradox Interactive’s answer to life simulation game The Sims, won’t be entering Early Access this year.
In an update video, Rod Humble, GM of Paradox Tectonic, announced Life By You is postponed to March 5, 2024 instead of the target release date in September 12.
In other words, the game’s getting delayed.
“The feedback we’ve received has been great and invaluable,” said Humble in the video. “We wanted to take some extra time to integrate it before launching Early Access”.
Humble outline the following changes is going to be made with the extra development time afforded to them:
- Visual Improvements
- Animation, lighting, character models, assets
- Gameplay Tuning
- UI Style Overhaul
- Preview of new UI change coming this week
- Mod Tools
- Mod tools and modding workflow are done in collaboration with Life By You’s modding community
- Bug Fixing
- Extra Language
- Italian and Portuguese languages support added
- Previously included languages include English, French, German, Spanish
Players who pre-order Life By You are now getting an extra “NIghtclub Pack”, which includes several pieces of furniture (most of them seating, the video shows eight assets in total) that fit in a nightclub.
Pre-orders on Epic Games Store have been refunded, but the game will be available to pre-order again with the new Early Access date.
Life By You’s big reveal looked ambitious, as well as rather rough. It will be an open-world life simulation where you can directly control one character, features real languages instead of a made-up one and have full support for mods on release.
It is also looking rather muted, devoid of charm when compared to The Sims. The little footage of gameplay we’ve seen so far is choppy, the UI isn’t great, and the overall presentation looks rather lacklustre. Look at the game’s logo and brand identity, for instance.
Still, this isn’t Paradox just jumping in for a quick cash-in. Rod Humble himself used to oversee The Sims up to The Sims 3- the one with the open-world. So there’s pedigree in the Paradox Tectonic team. Let’s just be glad that they now can take more time to really make a good first impression for this Early Access launch.
Life By You is now launching into Early Access in March 5, 2024 for PC (Steam, Epic Games Store).