Glimpse Life By You's Future Through Leaked Screenshots

Recently surfaced screenshots offer a poignant reminder of Paradox Interactive's cancelled life simulator, Life by You. These images, shared online by former developers, showcase the game's considerable progress.

Life by You's Cancellation: A Fresh Wound for Fans

Fans Praise Visual and Character Model Refinements

Following Paradox Interactive's announcement cancelling the highly anticipated Life by You, previously unseen screenshots have emerged. Compiled on Twitter (X) by @SimMattically, these images come from the portfolios of former artists and developers including Richard Kho, Eric Maki, and Chris Lewis, who also showcased their work on personal websites. Lewis's GitHub page even details animation processes, scripting, lighting, modder tools, shaders, and VFX development for the game.

The shared images provide a detailed look at Life by You's potential. While fans noted the visuals weren't drastically different from the final trailer, they highlighted significant improvements. One user commented, "The hype was real, the disappointment even more so… :( It could have been amazing!"

The screenshots reveal impressive base-game outfits designed for varied weather and seasons. Character customization appears extensive, featuring refined sliders and presets. The overall game world also exhibits greater detail and atmosphere than previously shown.

Paradox Interactive's Deputy CEO, Mattias Lilja, explained the cancellation, citing the game's shortcomings in "key areas" and an uncertain path to a satisfactory release. CEO Fredrik Wester echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the team's dedication but acknowledging the infeasibility of reaching a desired quality within a reasonable timeframe.

The cancellation surprised many, given the considerable excitement surrounding Life by You's potential as a competitor to EA's Sims franchise. The abrupt halt in development led to the closure of Paradox Tectonic, the studio behind the project.