[STEAM] The Day Before Devs Seemingly Resurface and They're Asking for Your Money Again

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Remember The Day Before, the once-hyped game that had

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that the Singapore-based studio that developed it, Fntastic, announced

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? Well, Fntastic appears to be back, and they're asking for a second chance — and your money.

In yet another bizarre development to what was already

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, the X/

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account for Fntastic resurfaced today, announcing a Kickstarter campaign and asking for "your help again to bring Fntastic back." The post links to

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which claims to lay out the details for Fntastic's next moves.

Once, you helped us create Fntastic through Kickstarter.
Today, we need your help again to bring Fntastic back!
Learn more and support us:

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— Fntastic (@FntasticHQ)

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If your first thought is that this whole thing could be a hoax, you'd be forgiven — and frankly, it very well could be. But if it is, it's a pretty elaborate troll, as the website is extensive. It includes an FAQ, a

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contact info,

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, and more. It also links to a Discord server which has mods claiming to be Fntastic devs and a bevy of confused onlookers.

What's more, the website even includes details and links to a new multiplayer co-op game, Escape Factory. A free demo is currently available via

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, and a Kickstarter page is looking to raise $15,535

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. As of press time, the campaign has raised $139 from three backers. The

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for Fntastic, which was scrubbed shortly before The Day Before's launch, also posted a trailer for Escape Factory.

According to the FAQ section of the website, if Escape Factory does not reach its Kickstarter goal, the studio won't be able to return.

If the whole thing seems a little tone-deaf after the disaster that was The Day Before, the website claiming to be Fntastic at least acknowledges that it might have some trouble regaining consumers' trust. The website says they "deeply apologize to everyone for The Day Before and take full responsibility for what happened."

"After the closure, we reflected on our past mistakes and initiated significant internal changes to drive ******** improvement," the site's FAQ page reads. "We've discontinued the practice of involving external volunteers and are now fully committed to a more professional approach. Honesty, transparency, and community engagement have become our top priorities."

In terms of who is apparently on the current team, the website admits that it's "smaller, but it still consists of the same people who created all of our previous games." Interestingly, the website makes no mention of Fntastic founders Eduard Gotovtsev and Aisen Gotovtsev, not even in its

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section that chronicles the studio's history.

"Honesty, transparency, and community engagement have become our top priorities." The website adds that Fntastic has lost all legal rights to both The Day Before and Propnight, another game developed by the studio before its closure, and elaborates further on some of the things it's learned from The Day Before debacle.

"Over time, we’ve analyzed the factors that led to The Day Before's unsuccessful launch," the website reads. "These included overly ambitious goals on a low indie budget, a team without AAA tech experience, and embellished marketing, which we deeply regret."

The X/

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account for Fntastic

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to concerned onlookers ever since the first announcement, as many are, understandably, a little hesitant to trust the studio (if this even is the studio).

Fntastic had a tumultous development cycle for The Day Before leading up to its tumultuous launch. The

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, gaining traction for what looked to be an exciting post-apocalyptic open world MMO. Hype gave way to skepticism, however, amid controversy over the

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, various delays,

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, and a fan revolt that accused the whole thing of being a scam.

It all led up to The Day Before's early access launch in December 2023, and once fans were able to finally get their hands on the game, the response was so overwhelmingly negative (

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) that the servers shut down

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. Refunds were distributed to all who purchased The Day Before,

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, “This was our first big experience. Sh*t happens.”

Still, the website saying it's Fntastic is adamant that the team has learned from its mistakes, stating that its core principles are now "honesty, transparency, and professionalism."

IGN has reached out to Eduard Gotovtsev and Aisen Gotovtsev, as well as a previous email address for Fntastic, for clarification on the legitimacy of the website, and has not heard back yet. We'll update this story if and when we do.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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