The Day Before transitioned from one of the most anticipated titles to the most hated one in 2023. Due to false marketing and cheap-quality gameplay, the game was forced to shut down four days after its launch. In fact, even though TDB was advertised as an MMO in post-apocalyptic America, it was turned into an extraction shooter without notice.
Keeping these changes a secret, Fntastic and Mytona released The Day Before on Steam. As a result, players who purchased the game called it a scam and asked for an instant refund. It was reported that almost 90% of buyers have asked for refunds, naturally cutting all revenue streams for the devs. Recently, Mytona released a statement on Twitter that shed details on their financial status. The publisher had invested in the game for a long time and shared updates on the fiasco. The following was quoted in their message:
We are sorry for the fact that the game didn’t meet the expectations of the majority of the players. Today, we will work with Steam to open up refunds for any players who choose to make a refund.
Since the game was regarded as a scam, Fntastic were stuck in their hearts as they didn’t receive any revenue. They further clarified on their Twitter profile that they didn’t take any money from customers to be regarded as a scam.
Official statement. #fntastic #thedaybefore #propnight pic.twitter.com/AKcRHeIaIW
— Fntastic (@FntasticHQ) December 11, 2023
Responding to comments with “shit happens” is really showing your true colors. You knew this would happen. It was literally the plan all along. None of you deserve to be in the gaming community after this. pic.twitter.com/5Aal9E0ROX
— Demon ☘️ (@hollywoodx95) December 12, 2023
In the apology post, some people pointed out that the development studio was allegedly aware of the current state of the game and still proceeded out of greed. Yet, the studio has been apologetic towards the gaming community and admitted their mistake for false marketing. The studio shared that they learned their lesson and it would serve as a big experience for them in the future.
Fntastic forced to shut down after The Day Before’s failure
It has been officially revealed by Fntastic Studio that The Day Before is a complete failure. The studio lacks funding and receiving no revenue makes it worse for them. Additionally, it was been disclosed that all the money they have received has been used to pay off their debts to partners. The following was quoted by them about the hard work that went into the game.
We invested all our efforts, resources, and man-hours into the development of The Day Before, which was our first huge game. We really wanted to release new patches to reveal the full potential of the game, but unfortunately, we don’t have the funding to continue the work.
The studio even apologized to the gaming community for not reaching their expectations. They pointed out that they did everything in their ability to create the game, but miscalculated their potential. To end the message, they have thanked everyone who has been there for their journey.
Can you just sell the game to someone who will make it what it’s supposed to be.
— xCurzedx (@curzedcruzade) December 12, 2023
The future of The Day Before remains unknown as the devs do not know what’s next for the IP. It was also revealed by Fntastic that IP rights are not owned by the studio. So, if any other studio wishes to take over the project then they could achieve where Fntastic failed.
