Summary
The Day Beforecould be reaching a turning point in its development story. The once highly-anticipated game has grown to become one of the most scrutinized and criticized titles in the industry, with the game’s director even having to fight claims thatThe Day Beforeisn’t real.
Announced in 2021,The Day Beforequickly became one of Steam’s most wishlisted titles. The game promised open-world, co-op action with a zombie-horror backdrop and a dash of life simulation elements. While it seemed to tick a lot of boxes for gamers, many eventually became disillusioned with the title and even speculated that the game is either in development hell, will never be completed, or perhaps is only a ploy to secure private investments.The Day Beforehas been delayed many times, with the current expected release date planned for Jun 21, 2025.
Why The Day Before’s Story Could Be Reaching Its Climax
As previously mentioned, Fntastic has delayed its notorious game a number of times already, often citing bizarre reasons. The most recent delay was caused by an allegedtrademark dispute regardingThe Day Before’s title. This delay pushed the game back from a March 2023 release date to a November 2023 one, and Fntastic also claimed that it would be delaying the game’s first gameplay reveal - something that had been highly anticipated by those invested in the title - due to the trademark issue. The game was also delisted from Steam around this time, with Fntastic also attributing this to the trademark dispute.
This trademark story baffled those followingThe Day Before’s development, as it seemed dubious for a number of reasons. Following backlash to these trademark claims and the delay, Fntastic eventually did reveal gameplay, and it didn’t go over well with audiences. The gameplay looked a bit like a rudimentary asset flip, sparking concerns thatThe Day Beforewas another empty open worldgame at best, and vaporware at worst. The reveal stood in stark contrast to the impressive, highly produced trailers Fntastic had released up to that point, leading many to believe that the developer was being deliberately misleading. It also looked far from complete, which cast even more doubt on the explanation Fntastic gave for the March delay.
At the time of writing, Fntastic has not announced another delay, meaning thatThe Day Beforeis set to release less than a month from now. This is a crucial moment for the game, as the events that unfolded at the start of this year sank expectations and greatly damaged its reputation. WhileThe Day Beforehas gotten some positivepublicity since its latest delay, public opinion is generally at an all-time-low for the title. If the game gets delayed again, as many suspect it may, then it could be the final nail in the coffin, pushing even the most generous gamers away from the title for good. On the other hand, if it can end up honoring the November 10 release date, it has the potential to spin its confusing tale into something of an underdog story.
The Day Before’s legacy is a massive hurdle that it has to overcome. On top of the aforementioned issues with delays and underwhelming gameplay reveals are several other, one-off controversies, whichFntastic has labeled “disinformation”, but which have harmed the game’s reputation nonetheless.The Day Beforeis also set to launch during a year packed with Game of the Year contenders, which doesn’t exactly help its case. It seems unlikely thatThe Day Beforewill live up to the lofty expectations gamers had for it back in 2021, but if it can release next month, it can at least dispel the accusations of it being a fake game.
The Day Beforeis set to release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on November 10.
MORE:The Day Before Might Just Be a Real-World ‘Sequel’ to Abandoned
