The game’s shutdown is still a surprise despite awful reviews.
After getting roasted by the community and failing to reach player goals, the studio behind The Day Before FNTASTIC is giving up entirely.
December is supposed to be a great month for video game developers, but one highly-anticipated launch went as poorly as it possibly could. After finally dropping The Day Before after a two-year launch cycle, the studio behind the game has announced that it will close its doors forever. Here’s the official statement from the company and why it chose to give up on the massive zombie MMO.
Developer FNTASTIC first revealed The Day Before in early 2021 but delayed the game several times due to various trademark disputes. After two years of hype, the studio finally launched the title in early access on Steam on Dec. 7, 2023. The game’s player count peaked at around 38,000 before crashing down to just a few thousand in the next few days.
Players panned the game for its poor performance and sparse gameplay, with many comparing the title to extraction shooters like Escape from Tarkov rather than an MMO. The lack of melee combat is another sore spot for fans. 8,430 Steam reviews currently rate the game Overwhelmingly Negative. 17 Metacritic user reviews currently average 0.4 thanks to one guy who thinks the game is alright. All other reviews are a 0.
On Dec. 11, FNTASTIC issued a public statement through official social media explaining that the game’s poor reception and terrible sales have forced it to completely shut down. The post explained that the team overestimated their abilities before apologizing to fans for the situation.
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What will happen to The Day Before after the studio closes?
The few players who genuinely enjoy The Day Before will still be able to play the game for the foreseeable future, as FNTASTIC has decided to leave servers up.
However, as of 14:45 p.m. PT (Dec. 11), the game had been taken off sale on Steam, with only those with the game still in their Library able to play. This decision means that the game is still playable for those who own it, but will remain in its current state with no updates.
With the closure of the studio, future updates for the game are completely out the window. The game will stay in its launch state for as long as the servers remain online. The official statement did not give a definite shutoff date for the always-online game, but considering the studio’s closure and poor sales, it's safe to expect a total shutdown sometime in 2024.
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