Publisher Paradox Interactive and developer Paradox Tectonic have now shared more details about the upcoming open life simulator Life by You, giving us a better idea of what its release date will be alongside what we can expect in terms of gameplay, story, and more.
Led by Rod Humble, known for his work on games like EverQuest and The Sims 2, the Berkeley-based Paradox Tectonic development studio was founded in 2019. Life by You is its debut title, acting as a challenger in the life simulation arena that The Sims has comfortably ruled over for quite a while now. Here is everything we know about the game.
Life by You Release Date
Life by You had locked down its early access release date to September 13, 2023, although unfortunately, Paradox Tectonic has decided to delay the early access launch until 5th March, 2024. That is when players who want to try out the game prior to its full release and provide feedback can hop in.
It’s currently unclear how long we have to wait until its full launch. There is a chance that player reception might influence it, and we should learn more about this over the coming months. We estimate that this will happen sometime in late 2024, and that’s when it will also release on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.
“The additional time gives the development studio, Paradox Tectonic, the ability to improve the game’s visuals and UI. These improvements will not only affect the overall look and feel of the game, but will make it a more well-rounded experience for players.” read a statement sent to us by the PR team.
“Paradox Tectonic will also be fine-tuning mod tools that will be available for all players to explore and create. The player-community is at the core of Life by You, and their feedback is the core to many of the positive changes coming to Life by You’s Early Access.”
Life by You Story
Life by You emphasizes customizability, granting players free reins over how they design their families. The game “fits naturally with our wider philosophy of ‘we create the games, you create the stories’,” according to Paradox Interactive CEO Fredrik Wester, so it doesn’t look like it will have a set narrative that we’ll have to follow.
Instead, it takes on a sandbox approach, giving us the means to craft stories through how we design our characters, homes, and the interactions between our families and other characters they may encounter.
Life by You Gameplay
Life by You simulates the lives of modern families, giving players the means to create households, characters, and have them interact with each other in an “open game world where everything is customizable.”
The title features real-language conversation and allows switching “from third-person to direct control gameplay.”
Aside from urban environments, Life by You also lets you drive or bike to the countryside, as well as take on different quests “to unlock new experiences.”
Whether you focus on one or more characters, you can follow them as they build careers, relationships, and families.
You can pick deep personality and character traits as well as customize the looks of your people.
You’ll also get to build your dream home or business, furnishing it from top to bottom, inside to outside. Furthermore, you’ll be able to “drag, demolish, and rearrange entire towns,” according to the developer.
The title also supports a variety fo creator tools, that allow you to mod new content into the game but also change the way it plays.
Where can you buy Life by You and how much does it cost?
Life by You will be available on PC when it enters early access. You can pre-order it from the Epic Games Store for the price of 39.99$/39.99€ /34.99 £. It will also be available to wishlist on Steam.
Life by You Trailer
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