Game developer Fntastic announced that it is shutting down its studio, just a few days after it launched its shooter MMO, The Day Before. The game, which was announced in 2021, was the subject of multiple reports before launch, both good and bad, and it was one of the most wish-listed titles on Steam. It launched in early access on December 7.
The company said in a statement released on X, “Unfortunately, The Day Before has failed financially, and we lack the funds to continue. All income received is being used to pay off debts to our partners.”
They went on to say they invested their efforts into The Day Before and that they have not taken any money from the public through crowdfunding or pre-order campaigns.
That being said, many people reacted to the announcement by asking the company to refund users who purchased the game. It has yet to respond to this, just saying that the future of both The Day Before and Propnight, one of its other titles, is “unknown.”
The game received numerous negative reviews post-launch, and the score on Steam sits at “Overwhelmingly Negative” at the time of this writing, and it’s currently still available for purchase for $40.
Fntastic encountered several setbacks to The Day Before pre-launch, including accusations of copying other successful titles, 17 months’ worth of delays from its initial scheduled launch, and allegations of using unpaid volunteer workers during development. It was also hit with a trademark case by a calendar app of the same name, which it eventually won.
