Fntastic, the studio behind The Day Before, shuts down a week after game’s release

The Day Before’s developer, Fntastic, has declared that it would shut down permanently four days following the game’s launch.

The Day Before finally came out globally on December 7, 2023, after significant problems and delays with its debut. However, it did not include the gameplay or features that gamers had anticipated based on several trailers from Fntastic. But less than a week after its most recent release, the studio announced its closing, prompting many to speculate as to why.

Fntastic shuts down a week after the game’s release

After the game’s initial teaser was released in 2021, interest in The Day Before immediately grew around the globe. The location and visual design of the game seem to take significant inspiration from post-apocalyptic titles such as Tom Clancy’s The Division and The Last of Us.  Based on a visually stunning reveal video, the post-apocalyptic open-world MMO survival game swiftly rose to the top of Steam’s wish list.

But the game does not live up to the trailer’s expectations in the slightest. Some who reviewed the game claimed that it was more akin to an extraction shooter than an open-world MMO  game. Steam users have left a deluge of critical reviews for The Day Before, which have been made worse by rumors that the favorable ones were composed by automated programs.

Over 18,000 reviews of The Day Before are now “overwhelmingly negative” on Steam. It is now among the most unrated Steam games ever. The Day Before’s active player counts plummeted after peaking on opening day with little over 30,000 concurrent users, according to Steam Charts.

Official statement. #fntastic #thedaybefore #propnight pic.twitter.com/AKcRHeIaIW

— Fntastic (@FntasticHQ) December 11, 2023

A large number of gamers requested refunds after the $40 release, with hundreds of reviews denouncing it as a “scam,” complaining about server problems and faulty levels. The developer, Fntastic, declared their major financial difficulties four days after the game’s debut. Fntastic asked people not to “accuse them of scamming” on social media a few days ago. After the game sold tens of thousands of downloads, the developer has now announced via the same social media platform that it is closing down its whole studio.

The makers have said in an official statement that debt repayment is being done using the proceeds from game sales. The game arrived in a completely different genre than promised, and the studio stated that they could not afford to fix its severe bugs. Propnight, Fntastic’s second Steam game, and The Day Before’s future are unknown, but for the time being, “the servers will remain operational,” the company stated. After defending its work on The Day Before, Fntastic apologized for falling short of expectations in its statement on X.

Header: Fntastic