Fntastic Studio, known for their ambitious project ‘The Day Before,’ has announced its closure due to financial struggles, just a week after the game’s release.
The studio shared this news via their Twitter account, @FntasticHQ. They revealed that the earnings from ‘The Day Before’ are being used to settle debts with partners, underscoring the severity of their financial situation. This development has halted their plans to release new updates and further develop the game.
Since its inception in 2015, Fntastic spent eight years in the gaming industry, with notable releases like ‘The Wild Eight’ in 2017 and ‘Proptnight’ in 2021. ‘The Day Before,’ a post-apocalyptic zombie game, was first announced in 2021 but faced several delays due to engine upgrades and trademark issues, leading to its release in December 2023.
A significant factor in Fntastic’s financial challenges was its decision not to seek public funds, avoiding pre-orders or crowdfunding. This ethical choice may have contributed to their financial difficulties. The studio also faced trademark disputes, which led to the temporary removal of the game from Steam and a subsequent name change to ‘Dayworld.’
Currently, Fntastic has ensured that the servers for both ‘The Day Before’ and ‘Proptnight’ will continue to operate. However, the future of these games and other projects by Fntastic remains uncertain as the studio navigates its closure.
Here is the official statement in full as shared by Fntastic.
Today, we announce the closure of Fntastic studio. Unfortunately, The Day Before has failed financially, and we lack the funds to continue. All income received is being used to pay off debts to our partners.
We invested all our efforts, resources, and man-hours into the development of The Day Before, which was our first huge game. We really wanted to release new patches to reveal the full potential of the game, but unfortunately, we don’t have the funding to continue the work.
It’s important to note that we didn’t take any money from the public during the development of The Day Before; there were no pre-orders or crowdfunding campaigns. We worked tirelessly for five years, pouring our blood, sweat, and tears into the game.
At the moment, the future of The Day Before and Proptnight is unknown, but the servers will remain operational.
We apologize if we didn’t meet your expectations. We did everything within our power, but unfortunately, we miscalculated our capabilities. Creating games is an incredibly challenging endeavor.
The Day Before is out now on Steam for PC.