The Day Before Publisher Giving Refunds Regardless of Play…

Summary

Apologies and refunds have been offered after The Day Before studio's closure.
Skepticism surrounded the game's release due to the developer's track record.
The Day Before failed to deliver its promised open-world MMO survival experience.

The Day Before publisher Mytona has apologized for the present circumstances and committed to opening up refunds for anyone who purchased the game on Steam. The actions are in response to The Day Before's delisting and closure of its development studio, Fntastic, after customers were met with a product that was falsely advertised for years.

Ever since The Day Before was announced in early 2021, some were skeptical that the supposed open-world MMO survival game would see the light of day. Fntastic had only released a few games before revealing The Day Before, all of which were significantly smaller in scope and received a less-than-stellar critical reception. After a few minor delays and accusations of soliciting unpaid labor, The Day Before vanished from Steam, with Fntastic blaming a trademark dispute. Any remaining fuel for cautious optimism was in low supply after the February 2023 gameplay trailer, which showcased a vision far from what had been previously promised. The Day Before finally released in early access on December 7, leading tens of thousands of concurrent players to immediately realize that it was not in fact an open-world MMO survival, but something more akin to an extraction shooter. Fntastic announced that it would be shutting down just four days later.

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By Kyle Thomas

An update from Mytona arrived via a tweet which implicitly took some responsibility as an investor of The Day Before, albeit understating just how much it did not "meet the expectations of the majority of the players." The publisher said it will be working with Steam "to open up refunds" for any that have not already done so. It is not unlikely that this will see Steam's refund policy relaxed, which currently only issues refunds for two weeks after the initial purchase, as long as total playtime is under two hours. Mytona is yet to explain why The Day Before was advertised as an open-world MMO despite falling far short of either descriptor.

The official Fntastic Twitter account echoed Mytona a few hours later, confirming that it was in communication with Steam "to allow refunds for any player... Regardless of game time." The tweet continues, stating that "Fntastic received $0 and will receive nothing from The Day Before sales," in an attempt to deflect accusations of fraud and profiteering off of false advertising. However, Fntastic's response to a comment that described the studio as a disgrace, which reads "This was our first big experience. S*** happens," is unlikely to instill any sympathy. Those who purchased it have already been turned off enough to see The Day Before's player count plummet.

The Day Before has now been delisted. With an Overwhelmingly Negative aggregate review rating, its legacy will be how a highly anticipated title became one of the worst-reviewed games on Steam. And rather than take accountability for selling a broken, misleading product at $40, Fntastic seems more caught up with deleting itself from the internet.

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