Fntastic announced earlier this month that it would be closing down, just days after launching its controversial game, The Day Before. It said at the time that servers for The Day Before would remain in operation but that the game’s future was unknown. Now, the studio has announced that it has officially ceased operations and The Day Before’s servers will be turned off next month.
More specifically, the servers will be turned off on January 22, 2024. While the game has an emphasis on online play, it could still be played offline. However, on December 12, five days after the game launched on Steam, it was pulled from the storefront and The Day Before hasn’t been available for purchase since. Plus, Fntastic says the game will be “retired.”
— The Day Before (@playdaybefore) December 22, 2023
Here’s Fntastic’s full statement on the server closure:
“Dear community, we regret to inform you the development company Fntastic has officially ceased operations, and as a result, The Day Before will be retired and the servers will be turned off on [January 22, 2024]. As previously communicated, Mytona, as the investor, has been working in collaboration with Steam to facilitate refunds for all game purchases. For any players that have not already had their purchase refunded, Steam will now proactively refund all remaining players.
“We extend our gratitude for the community’s support throughout the project’s life. Unfortunately, without a development team, we had no alternative choice but to officially close the project. We sincerely thank all our supporters throughout this journey and wish you all a happy holiday season.”
The Day Before launched into Early Access on December 7. The game peaked at 38,104 concurrent users at launch on Steam but today, that number is down to 55 players, according to SteamDB. In those four days, The Day Before also received enough negative reviews from players to place it into the 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 has scrubbed its entire YouTube channel, leaving the following note as its channel’s description: “We’re grateful to everyone who supported us during these difficult years. It’s been a fantastic journey over the past eight years.”
[Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Fntastic’s statement said, “Steam will not proactively refund all remaining players.” The statement says, “Steam will now proactively refund all remaining players” and the story has been updated to reflect that. Game Informer regrets this mistake.]
Have you played The Day Before? Let us know what you thought of it in the comments below!
