Paradox Interactive boss Fredrik Wester has admitted the publisher “made the wrong calls in several projects” following the cancellation of ‘Life by You’.
Paradox Interactive boss Fredrik Wester has admitted the publisher 'made the wrong calls in several projects' following the cancelling of Life by You
The game - which would have been a direct competitor to EA’s ‘The Sims’ franchise - was fraught with difficulties at developer Paradox Tectonic before it was shelved and the studio was closed in June.
Now, Wester has conceded the company has made several major mistakes within their portfolio of projects, though insisted it was right decision to axe ‘Life by You’ “as the game would not be able to meet [their] expectations”.
In Paradox’s latest financial earnings report, he said: “It is clear that we have made the wrong calls in several projects, especially outside of our core, and this must change.
“We have areas here where we need to improve, for example in production, quality and risk assessment. In 2021, we made major changes to how we invest in riskier projects, which means that we have not started new projects with the same combination of high risk and high costs as ‘Life by You’.”
As well as cancelling the simulation title, Paradox faced backlash from fans after releasing ‘Cities: Skylines 2’ in a less-than optimal state, before also launching a disappointing DLC to the game that was ultimately refunded.
However, the CEO insisted the company’s “future is bright”, though acknowledged the team had to “roll up [their] sleeves and work hard to fully realise the potential” of Paradox.