Fntastic announced earlier this month that it was shutting down its controversial game, The Day Before, just days after its launch. It said The Day Before’s servers are operational at the time but the game’s fate is unknown. Now, the studio has officially ceased operations and announced that The Day Before’s servers will be shut down next month.
More specifically, the servers will be turned off on January 22, 2024. Although the game focuses on online play, it can be played offline. However, on December 12, five days after the game’s launch on Steam, it was pulled from the storefront and became unavailable for purchase after The Day Before. Plus, Fntastic says the game is “retired”.
Here’s Fntastic’s full statement about the server shutdown:
“Dear community, we regret to inform you that the development company Fntastic has officially ceased operations and as a result, The Day Before will be retired and the servers will be turned on (January 22, 2024). As previously communicated, Mytona, as an investor, is working in collaboration with Steam to facilitate refunds for all game purchases. For any players who have not already refunded their purchase, Steam will not retroactively refund all remaining players.
“We express our gratitude for the community’s support throughout the life of the project. Unfortunately, without the development team, we had no alternative but to officially close the project. We sincerely thank all of our supporters throughout this journey and wish you a happy holiday season.”
It was launched the day before early access on December 7. The game reached 38,104 concurrent users when it launched on Steam but today, that number is down to 55 players. SteamDB. In those four days, The Day Before received enough negative reviews from fellow players to place it in the top 10 worst-reviewed games on Steam.
Over the years, The Day Before has been the subject of controversy, ranging from requests for volunteer work, various delays, broken promises and more. Fntastic scrubbed its entire YouTube channel, leaving the following note as its channel description: “We’re grateful to everyone who has supported us through these difficult years. It’s been an amazing journey over the past eight years.”
Did you play the other day? Let us know what you thought of it in the comments below!