The CEO of Paradox Fredrik Wester has admitted that the publisher of projects such as Life by You has “made the wrong calls in several projects,” after the intended Sims competitor was canceled earlier this year.
The title was canceled in June of this year, followed shortly after by the closer of the studio developing the game, Tectonic. During an earning report, Wester spoke on the project, stating it was a “difficult decision,” but “the game would not be able to meet our expectations.”
He continued from this point, stating that areas in which the publisher needs to improve. He stated:
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.
This isn’t the only Sims Competitor Paradox that has struggled with either over the recent year. Cities Skyline II, A take on the Sim City formula, was criticized at launch for poor performance on PC with intended console ports being delayed indefinitely due to this. These issues were compounded when its first DLC was released, being criticized by fans as being rushed, so much so that purchases were refunded.
The company is also publishing the upcoming Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines II which had a troubled development in which it saw developer The Chinese Room take over with a 2025 release date planned, nearly 6 years after was originally intended. Additionally, last year’s release of The Lamplighters League saw a troubled release leading to its commercial failure.
Wester concluded by stating “Despite great annoyance at our own mistakes, we have faith. Paradox’s future is bright, but we need to roll up our sleeves and work hard to fully realize the potential.”
The cancellation of Life By You saw Paradox’s operational profit decrease by 90 percent in its latest quarter, with total revenue decreasing by 22 percent. Despite this, Wester believes that their core business is still performing very well, and it is important to note companies often have down quarters during times of adjustment before coming back.
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