Update: Fntastic has spoken to IGN to further clarify The Day Before’s latest delay, saying “We planned to move the game’s release before and plan to announce it with Mytona in a 10-minute gameplay video. And then you all know what happened. So to be on the safe side, to ensure there are no more transfers, we, along with the publisher, chose November 10. That is a safe date, given the trademark dispute.”
The studio also hit back against online scepticism of the game’s legitimacy.
“We understand that some players, not seeing the whole picture, might have doubts about the game. Our whole focus has always been on the product itself. We’ve been creating the game for four years. All these years have been full of sweat and blood to make this game, and for many members of our team, it is unpleasant to hear such accusations.
“We didn’t take a penny from people: no crowdfunding, no pre-orders, no donations. The game is fully funded by Mytona, one of the largest mobile publishers in the world, who checked the game’s build at every milestone per our contract.
“We made a real inner breakthrough when we decided to go for big challenges from the bottom—so big that some people would consider them impossible.”
Remember The Day Before? Last we’d heard of Fntastic’s open-world survival MMO, it had been delayed due to switching engines to Unreal Engine 5, and then featured in a NVIDIA showcase alongside a bizarre video promoting its “volunteer” work culture.
Well, the game’s back in the news thanks to yet another delay, this time moving the game from its March 1st, 2023 release date all the way back to November 10, 2023. The reason? Apparently the studio had neglected to trademark the name “The Day Before” and it was instead taken by someone unknown to Fntastic, at least as far as it claims.
The issues became apparent when the game was abruptly delisted from Steam, where it had previously been one of the platform’s most wishlisted games. Originally citing a bug, Fntastic then issued a full statement explaining the situation, which you can read below:
— Fntastic (@FntasticHQ) January 25, 2023
For what it’s worth, a trademark for the name The Day Before was filed by someone in mid-2021, so the issues there at least seem to be legitimate. It’s definitely not a good look though for a game that many are already incredibly sceptical about. The studio also had a full gameplay reveal trailer planned, but has since postponed this as well while it “talks to lawyers.”
For the gameplay video, we will consult with lawyers first, and then we can publish it.
— Fntastic (@FntasticHQ) January 25, 2023
