There is no end to layoffs in gaming. The first half of the year has not yet ended and we still regularly hear news of a series of layoffs. Even worse is when entire studios unfortunately have to close their doors. That’s what happened to Tectonicthe developers of Life by Youthat not only did they have to cancel their game, but the distribution company Paradox announced the definitive closure of the studio.
The news was announced through a series of statements from Paradox. At first, all that was known was that Life by You had been cancelled. This game, which was intended to be a competition from the series of EA The Simshad been announced in May 2023, with the promise of reaching Early Access in September of the same year. That launch was then pushed back to May 2024, and then pushed back once again to June. Finally, weeks before the game hits Early Access An indefinite delay was announced, until news of its cancellation finally broke. Fredrik WesterCEO of Paradoxcommented: “we had hopes Life by You and the potential we saw, but now it is clear that the game will not be able to meet our expectations”.
However, the situation got even worse when hours later the news of the studio’s closure emerged. Tectonicwhich was part of Paradox Since 2019, it had around 24 employees and was working in Life by You since its foundation. Wester also commented on the decision to close the studio: “Sadly, with the cancellation of their only project we have to make the difficult decision to close the studio. We are deeply grateful for your hard work in trying to bring Paradox to a new genre”. The executive added: “We have a very solid financial position and a strong core games portfolio, which keeps us confident about our future”.
Tectonic It thus joins the extensive list of companies affected by layoffs in 2024, among which are large companies such as Microsoft, PlayStation, EA and Riot Games.
