Summary

  • Dataminers found code in Escape Factory's demo from a Unity demo code.
  • Escape Factory allegedly reused assets and code, similar to The Day Before, raising concern among gamers.
  • Fntastic's attempt to regain gamers' trust with Escape Factory's crowdfunding may be in jeopardy due to asset flipping.

Dataminers allege that Escape Factory, the new game from the developer behind The Day Before, Fntastic, is making some of the same mistakes as its predecessor, including asset flipping. This follows Fntastic's attempt to convince gamers that it and Escape Factory deserve a second chance after the disastrous launch and subsequent removal of The Day Before.

The Day Before launched less than a year ago, but its age is practically irrelevant, as the game was pulled from sale within four days and its servers shut down within a month. Initially, it was believed that Fntastic was completely shut down following the disastrous launch, but it seems that the studio has been working on a new title in Escape Factory. However, the developer's hope for winning back gamers may not be going as planned.

A single player is still playing The Day Before.
There's Still 1 Person Playing The Day Before on Steam

One of the most widely panned games in recent memory, The Day Before, somehow still has a single active user running the game on Steam.

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Escape Factory was revealed on September 27 with a brief trailer, demo, and a crowdfunding campaign. Data miners have since dug into the demo, and aren't happy with what they've found. Twitter user bsimser shared a lengthy thread on the official Steam forums revealing their findings of asset flipping and free code being implemented in the demo. According to bsimser, the code used for the game's networking, lobby, and matchmaking is taken from a free Unity demo code that can be downloaded from Github and is intended to be used for learning to create multiplayer games, not actual launch products.

Escape Factory Seems to Be Repeating The Day Before's Mistakes

Meanwhile, a number of assets from the game are reportedly not made by the developer, and have instead been taken from varying online resources, including free resources and a demo. Gamers previously discovered that The Day Before used assets from the Unreal Marketplace rather than its own, with history now seemingly repeating itself. After bsimser revealed this information on Steam, the post was taken down, allegedly by Fntastic. Social media responses allege that any attempts to discuss the matter on the developer's Discord are also being taken down.

Given that Fntastic is hoping to raise just over $15,000 USD via Kickstarter to get this project up and running, and potentially up to $700,000 to unlock the maximum number of features, many are not happy with these revelations. Considering that the game needs funding, there is a possibility that some assets were used as placeholders until real assets could be developed or properly licensed. However, that goes against the developer's claims that everything is being handcrafted by Fntastic developers and that it's working hard to regain gamers' trust. It would be in Fntastic's best interest to address these findings and quickly, but it may already be too late for the developer's hope of a second chance.

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The Day Before game tag page cover art

The Day Before
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Open-World
Zombie
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Systems
PC-1
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Top Critic Avg: 12 /100
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Released
December 7, 2023
Developer(s)
Fntastic
Publisher(s)
MYTONA
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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The Day Before offers players a uniquely reimagined journey into post-apocalyptic open-world MMO survival set in the present day on the US East Coast following a deadly pandemic.


SURVIVE AT ALL COSTS
Fight other players for survival. Survive against the deadly infected. Collect valuable loot.


DISCOVER THE NEW POST-PANDEMIC WORLD
Explore the beautiful and richly detailed New Fortune City. Enter tall skyscrapers, business centers, massive malls, grand stadiums, and more. Uncover distant surroundings of New Fortune City on stunningly detailed vehicles.


REBUILD SOCIETY
Join the Woodberry survivor colony on its mission to rebuild society. Trade items in Woodberry and save your wealth in a personal storage room. Build your own home in the safe zone.

Platform(s)
PC
Genre(s)
Open-World, Zombie
OpenCritic Rating
Weak
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