The Controversial and Catastrophic Saga of The Day Before: A Game of Delays, Controversy, and Fan Reaction
3 min read
The Day Before, a game that was once the talk of the town and the most wishlisted game on Steam, has now become a cautionary tale of the dangers of hype and the pitfalls of Early Access. The game, which was developed by Fntastic and published by Mytona, was initially announced in January 2021 with a five-minute trailer that showcased its high-quality graphics, seamless gameplay, and open, interactive world. The game was compared to Ubisoft’s The Division and PlayStation blockbuster The Last of Us, and fans eagerly anticipated its release.
However, the road to The Day Before’s launch was anything but smooth. The game faced numerous delays, controversies, and fan reactions that left many questioning the state of the game and the developers behind it.
The first delay came in May 2022, when Fntastic announced that The Day Before would be switching to the Unreal Engine 5 technology, which would make the gameplay even more fantastic. However, this transition came with a price: a six-month delay, pushing the game’s release date to March 1, 2023.
Despite this delay, Fntastic continued to release gameplay footage and updates, keeping fans engaged and excited. However, concerns began to rise when the developer went quiet for several months, only to resurface in January 2023 with a minute-long gameplay trailer that showed The Day Before running in 4K with RTX turned on.
The next major controversy surrounding The Day Before came in January 2023 when the game’s Steam page was removed due to a trademark dispute. Fntastic claimed that Steam had blocked the page at the request of a private individual who had registered the game’s trademark in the United States. The dispute led to another delay, pushing the game’s release date to November 10, 2023.
However, Fntastic’s explanation for the delay was met with skepticism from fans, who believed that the delay had been planned even before the trademark dispute. The situation was further complicated when reports emerged of Fntastic’s “volunteering culture,” which involved the use of unpaid workers. The developer defended the practice, saying that all of its employees, paid or not, were volunteers.
The controversy and delays took a toll on The Day Before’s fanbase, with many expressing their disappointment and frustration on the game’s Discord server and Reddit page. Some accused Fntastic of lying about progress and called the game a scam. Others questioned the developers’ intentions and motives.
Despite the controversy and fan reaction, Fntastic continued to work on The Day Before, releasing a few more trailers and updates throughout the year. However, the damage had already been done, and the game’s reputation was forever tarnished.
On January 22, 2024, The Day Before’s servers were shut down, just 45 days after the game launched in Early Access. The game, which had once been the talk of the town and the most wishlisted game on Steam, was now dead.
The strange saga of The Day Before serves as a reminder of the dangers of hype and the pitfalls of Early Access. It also highlights the importance of transparency and communication from developers to their fans. The Day Before may have been a game of delays, controversy, and fan reaction, but it will always be remembered as a cautionary tale in the gaming industry.
