While fans knew that it would be next to impossible for The Day Before developers to make good on their promise, no one could predict how disastrous the game would be on launch. As a matter of fact, The Day Before received overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam with some claiming the studio should have paid them for playing the game. However, despite the criticisms and bad reviews, it is always disheartening when a failed game release forces a studio to close its doors for good.
The Day Before’s failure was too much for developers Fntastic to bear and they have since closed down for good. In a heartbreaking statement on X, the developers revealed how they had sunk every single bit of their manpower and financial resources into The Day Before and there was no way for them to keep funding the project after its failed launch. Fntastic also apologized for the broken game, claimed they had bitten off more than they could chew, and revealed how all their income was being used to settle debts. At the same time, The Day Before’s publisher, Mytona, announced that they would be refunding the game to anyone who had purchased it on Steam.
Official statement. #fntastic #thedaybefore #propnight pic.twitter.com/AKcRHeIaIW
— Fntastic (@FntasticHQ) December 11, 2023
However, even though the post was absolutely heartbreaking to read, the developers of popular survival games Rust and DayZ decided to have some harmless fun of their own. DayZ started the trend by celebrating the 10th anniversary of their game with a Fntastic-esque announcement on X, where they talked about their “milestone moment,” and mentioned how they have put in an incredible amount of effort including massive investment in finances and man-hours to reach where they are at present. The DayZ developers also took this opportunity to thank their fans and reassured them that the game would be supported for years to come.
— Rust (@playrust) December 11, 2023
Interestingly, the developers of Rust used a different approach as instead of coming up with their own post, they copied the DayZ post outright. However, the devs then used red ink to replace certain words and customize the post as they wished. This proved to be even more impactful as it matched Rust’s in-game aesthetic of hardcore survival and anarchy in a merciless world.
Is imitation the new trend in video game announcements?
Imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, but how true does that statement hold when it comes to game announcements? When Rockstar Games announced the GTA 6 trailer date through a post that had a backdrop of a Miami sunset, we saw how game studios, publishers, and even esports organizations jumped onto the bandwagon to make their announcements in the same fashion. However, at that time, people put this behavior off to Rockstar’s immense influence in the video game industry.
— Rust (@playrust) December 11, 2023
Yet, that seems not to be the case, as despite Fntastic and The Day Before having next to no influence over the gaming space, popular game developers did imitate their announcement to gain some clout on social media. In fact, the trolling got Rust and DayZ quite a bit of attention and some might argue that their post gained a lot more traction than the original announcement by Fntastic. Hence, from the looks of it, influence has nothing to do with imitation, since people choose to adapt only that which has a possibility of becoming viral within a short period of time. Nevertheless, fans and the gaming community in general accepted Rust and DayZ’s trolling in good nature, although Fntastic is yet to comment on it.
