Summary
MMO survival gameThe Day Beforehas become recognizable for its contentious development process, and with its release date fast approaching, many remain concerned over a lack of concrete updates.Fntastic has been working onThe Day Beforesince 2019, through which many twists and turns have hurt its reception among fans. Between visual and engine changes, a trademark dispute, and contention surrounding its gameplay trailer, the once highly wish-listed title has been the center of a number of controversies, including a delisted Steam page.
Development team Fntastic has seen success in endeavors like the multiplayer hide-and-seek gamePropnight, though its development onThe Day Before, an open-world survival game bearing resemblance to titles likeThe Last of UsandThe Division, has been less favorable among the public. It’s clear that a lot of hard work and effort has gone into the title over its four years in development, though controversy surrounding its use of “volunteers” and a lack of transparency over its gameplay and trademark dispute has led to fair criticism among prospective buyers.
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The Day Before’s Development Has Been Rife With Controversy
Controversy arose last year over Fntastic’s approach to its hiring work model, withdevelopers working onThe Day Beforeunder a “volunteer” basis. The company stated that it hires both employee-volunteers (paid) and external volunteers, though it’s unclear how much of the team is operating under the latter category and how exactly they are being compensated. This came to a head in a strange YouTube video uploaded by the company back in January, titled “Life at Fntastic,” that troubled many due to its lack of concrete game footage and idealistic painting of the company’s work culture. This was before the game’s delay to November 10.
In February,aDay Beforegameplay trailerwas shown that led to mixed reception, with some noting a lack of life and engagement toThe Day Before’s world. Weeks later, Fntastic uploaded a Dev Vlog that was much better received for its transparency, detailing how the process of the game has changed throughout its four-year development cycle. This video showed the game going through a dramatic overhaul in the graphics department, moving away from a stylized art direction, similar to what is seen inPropnight, in favor of a more gritty and realistic style. This change led to work in retexturizing the title’s environmental assets and zombie dismemberment among other things, including the move to Unreal Engine 5.
Just before this video’s release, Fntastic spoke on social media regarding atrademark dispute aboutThe Day Beforeand the company’s Steam and YouTube videos. This dispute was the result of a claim on the game’s title,The Day Before, which Fntastic said it was fighting. Since then, however, no new developments on the dispute have been recorded by the company, and the title has yet to restore an official Steam page despite its release date set for November 10. The last update made by the company on social media platform X was on August 2, with a screenshot of a car model from the game.
Speculation has arisen over Fntastic opting forThe Day Before’s change in name, which could be “Dayworld” based on a new trademark filed, though this has yet to be officially confirmed. The trademark dispute has been cited as the reason for the game’s delay into November and why its Steam page has been blocked. It’s certain that this has put further stress on the development team, with many considering that their hands are full between the legal battle and finishing up the game. Still, the lack of updates has been understandably frustrating for prospective buyers of the game, especially with how little gameplay is available just two weeks before its release.
The Day Beforeis set to release on November 10 for PC.
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