The Day Before caught everyone’s attention when it was first revealed back in January 2021. After delaying the game to switch to Unreal Engine 5 and delaying the game again, The Day Before was set to release in March. However, out of the blue, the game was discovered to be delisted on Steam. Developer Fntastic announced that this was due to a trademark dispute. They also announced that they have decided to postpone the launch of the game to November 10, 2023. Following the announcement, Fntastic revealed that they were planning to delay the game prior to the trademark dispute.
Following the announcement of the game, the community alleged that The Day Before was not in development. The conversation has been erupting on the game’s Reddit page and Discord server. Speaking to IGN, Fntastic Co-Founders Eduard and Aisen Gotovtsev decried any allegations of scamming. They say that the trademark dispute forced the delay of both the game and its first major gameplay video in over a year. They also said that they were going to announce a delay before the trademark issue came up. “We planned to move the game’s release before and plan to announce it with [publisher] Mytona in a 10-minute gameplay video,” Fntastic told IGN. “And then you all know what happened. So to be on the safe side, to ensure there are no more transfers, we, along with the publisher, chose November 10. That is a safe date, given the trademark dispute.”
Talking about the trademark dispute Fntastic said “we’re very confident that this issue will be resolved since we have strong legal partners,” it said. “The extra time will allow us to better prepare for the release and make the overall improvements for the game. It will become even more polished, optimized, and content-filled.”
They are confident that the game will be released despite the backlash from the community. “The storm will calm down eventually, and time will put everything in its place. When the game comes out, people will finally see the truth,” it said. “But while we’re here, we’re grateful for such a fantastic journey and for you being with us.”
“For us and millions of people, The Day Before is a childhood dream come true,” Fntastic said. “It’s a game with zombies and other people in a huge postapocalyptic skyscraper city.
“We understand that some players, not seeing the whole picture, might have doubts about the game. Our whole focus has always been on the product itself. We’ve been creating the game for four years. All these years have been full of sweat and blood to make this game, and for many members of our team, it is unpleasant to hear such accusations.
“We didn’t take a penny from people: no crowdfunding, no pre-orders, no donations. The game is fully funded by Mytona, one of the largest mobile publishers in the world, who checked the game’s build at every milestone per our contract.
“We made a real inner breakthrough when we decided to go for big challenges from the bottom—so big that some people would consider them impossible.
“Making a fantastic journey from the very ends of the earth, we feel like that simple guy from 90s action movies. You probably remember him as the hero who breaks through the veil of disbelief when no one believes in him, but he finds the inner strength to win and prove to everyone what he is worth in the end.
“We only believe in the final product. No matter what anyone says, you’ll see for yourself on November 10 this year. We hope that after the game’s success, we’ll give people faith that in this life, if you persevere toward a dream, it will come true, despite all the obstacles and doubts.”