Paradox Interactive seems to be going all in on the simulation genre in 2023. Not only is it planning on releasingCities Skylines 2before the end of the year, but it is also revealing its life-sim gameLife By Youon March 20. It seems like a great time to be a sim fan, and hopefully these games lead to even more simulators. IfCities Skylines 2andLife By Youare a success then Paradox may finally be able to dethrone Maxis as the king of simulator games, or at least come close.
It seems like Paradox Interactive is going after the same market that Maxis has dominated since the creation ofThe Sims. AfterSimCity2013 was met with controversy, Paradox quickly launchedCities Skylinesto capitalize on the city builder market. NowthatThe Sims 4has been on the market for a while, Paradox isgoing after the life-sim genre withLife By You.It seems like the studio is chasing after Maxis, and hopefully it adopts one of the best parts ofThe Sims:its connections toSimCity.
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The Sims and SimCity are Technically Connected
The Simsmay be the more popular series, but it was actually a spin-off of Maxis’SimCityseries. The firstSimCityreleased in 1989, and it was a critical and commercial success. It is actually cited as the start of the urban simulation genre, and helped put Maxis on the map. The studio would quickly expand the franchise with all sorts of newSimgames beforeit eventually launchedThe Simsin 2000.
The Simswisthe most popularSimCityspin-off, and it is really the onlySimsgame still standing in 2023. Instead of having players control the city,The Simsputs them in control of the residents of the city. While it removes a lot of the intricate city management features,The Simsseries is still firmly set within the same franchise. Newspaper headlines mention SimCity, certain careers have Sims working for SimCity, the currency is the same, and there are loads of Easter eggs throughout both series.
While the core gameplay loop ofThe SimsandSimCityare different, the games still feel very similar. Both franchises have a similar art style, similar personality, and share many concepts. Pretty muchall theSimCityspin-offshave this in common, and it has led to a very interesting and varied franchise. The similarities between these games have helped draw fans to Maxis' titles, and have also helped makeThe Simsa gaming industry mainstay.
Cities Skylines 2 and Life By You Should Follow Suit
Paradox Interactive has shown very little ofLife By YouandCities Skylines 2. Anofficial reveal event forLife By Youis slated for March 20, and players will likely see more fromCities Skylines 2later this year. While the teaser trailers were not much to go on, some elements may hint at possible connections between the two games. If the two titles are connected then it seems like Paradox is definitely trying to build its ownSimsbrand, and if the games are not connected then they really should be.
The quick teaser forLife By Youshowed off a couple elements that look really reminiscent ofCities Skylines. One shot showed a pink car driving through a city street with an art style that looked like an upgraded version ofCities Skylinesstyle. Another shot showed the house building mechanic that will likely be a core part of the game, and the currency is the exact same currency asCities Skylines. These could be placeholders, or it could hint at a much larger connection between the two franchises.
One of the most interesting aspects ofThe SimsandSimCityis the interconnectivity of the two franchises. While one title lets players build a city, the other title lets players live inside the city. If Paradox truly wants to capturethe success ofThe Sims, then connecting its two major sim games would be a great way to do that, and it may already be happening.
Cities Skylines 2will be available in 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
