The Day Before removed from Steam hours after devs shut down studio
FntasticThe Day Before is no longer purchasable through Steam, news that comes mere hours after the development studio shut down.
After much delay, developer Fntastic finally deployed The Day Before on December 7. The Steam Early Access release instantly turned disastrous, as players encountered a whole host of game-breaking bugs and other issues.
Apparently, things proved so dour that the studio shut its doors, citing the game’s financial failures as the chief reason. Now there’s another wrinkle in the ongoing Days Before saga.
A few hours after the studio closure announcement, Steam users realized that purchasing the game is no longer possible. What’s more, the company’s and Days Before’s footprint online is slowly beginning to evaporate.
The Day Before has been delisted on Steam
As spotted by Wario64, The Day Before can no longer be purchased on the PC storefront. The Steam store page still exists as of writing, but purchasing options have been summarily removed.
And that’s not all. Journalist Nick Calandra pointed out that the studio’s CEO has deactivated his personal Twitter account. Fntastic’s official website now stands as a shell of its former self, too, with just the studio closure announcement occupying the page.
Notably, the Fntastic YouTube channel no longer hosts previously released trailers and the like for The Day Before. The ‘About’ section does feature the following text, however: “We’re grateful to everyone who supported us during these difficult years. It’s been a fantastic journey over the past eight years.”
YouTubeIt’s a shocking turnaround for The Day Before, which hit Steam Early Access four days ago, but its sudden delisting isn’t the only cause for concern. The CEO’s Twitter deactivation and the website’s barebones display means users are running out of ways to contact the developers.
In its shutdown announcement, Fntastic noted that every penny the game made would be used to “pay off debts to [the studio’s] partners.”
Naturally, this raises questions about reimbursement, especially given Steam’s two-hour gameplay policy for refunds and the now-defunct live-service nature of the survival experience.
Someone behind The Day Before will have plenty to answer for once the dust starts to settle.