Summary
The Day Beforepublisher Mytona has apologized for the present circumstances and committed to opening up refunds for anyone who purchased the game on Steam. The actions are in response toThe Day Before’s delisting and closure of its development studio, Fntastic, after customers were met with a product that was falsely advertised for years.
Ever sinceThe Day Beforewas announced in early 2021, some were skeptical that the supposed open-world MMO survival game would see the light of day. Fntastic had only released a few games before revealingThe Day Before, all of which were significantly smaller in scope and received a less-than-stellar critical reception. After a few minor delays and accusations of soliciting unpaid labor,The Day Beforevanished from Steam, with Fntastic blaming a trademark dispute. Any remaining fuel for cautious optimism was in low supply after the February 2023 gameplay trailer, which showcased a vision far from what had been previously promised.The Day Beforefinally released in early access on December 7, leading tens of thousands of concurrent players to immediately realize that it was not in fact an open-world MMO survival, but something more akin to an extraction shooter.Fntastic announced that it would be shutting downjust four days later.
An update from Mytona arrived via a tweet which implicitly took some responsibility as an investor ofThe Day Before, albeit understating just how much it did not “meet the expectations of the majority of the players.” The publisher said it will be working with Steam “to open up refunds” for any that have not already done so. It is not unlikely that this will see Steam’s refund policy relaxed, which currently only issues refunds for two weeks after the initial purchase, as long as total playtime is under two hours. Mytona is yet to explain whyThe Day Beforewas advertised as an open-world MMOdespite falling far short of either descriptor.
The official Fntastic Twitter account echoed Mytona a few hours later, confirming that it was in communication with Steam “to allow refunds for any player… regardless of game time.” The tweet continues, stating that “Fntastic received $0 and will receive nothing fromThe Day Beforesales,” in an attempt to deflect accusations of fraud and profiteering off of false advertising. However, Fntastic’s response to a comment that described the studio as a disgrace, which reads “This was our first big experience. S*** happens,” is unlikely to instill any sympathy. Those who purchased it have already been turned off enoughto seeThe Day Before’s player count plummet.
The Day Beforehas now been delisted. With an Overwhelmingly Negative aggregate review rating, its legacy will be how a highly anticipated title became one of the worst-reviewed games on Steam. And rather than take accountability for selling a broken, misleading product at $40,Fntastic seems more caught up with deleting itself from the internet.
The Day Before
WHERE TO PLAY
The Day Before is no longer available for purchase and its development studio has been shut down.
