Game developer Fntastic announced today that it is shutting down, only a few days after it launched its shooter MMO, The Day Before. The game, which was revealed in 2021, was the subject of multiple reports before launch, both good and bad, and it was one of the most wishlisted 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 responded to the announcement requesting the company refund users who purchased the game. It has yet to respond to this, simply saying that the future of both The Day Before and Propnight, one of its other titles, is “unknown.” The game received multiple negative reviews post-launch, and the score on Steam sits at “Overwhelmingly Negative” at the time of this writing.
Fntastic faced several setbacks to The Day Before pre-launch, including accusations of copying other successful titles, 17 months’ worth of delays from its original planned launch and allegations of exploiting unpaid volunteer workers during development. It was also hit with a trademark lawsuit by a calendar app of the same name, which it eventually won.
Update: The Day Before is no longer listed as being available for purchase on Steam, and we’ve updated the article accordingly.