this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2023
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The Day Before Servers Shutting Down Next Month, Leaving Game Active for Just 45 Days - IGN (www.ign.com)
submitted 10 months ago by AnActOfCreation@programming.dev to c/games@lemmy.world
40 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

• Controversial game The Day Before will have servers shut down in January 2024, just 45 days after its troubled launch.

• Developer Fntastic has closed down and the entire project will cease to exist, leaving players unable to purchase or play the game.

• Steam will automatically refund remaining players and Mytona, the investor, has been collaborating with Steam to facilitate refunds for all purchasers.

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[–] RaincoatsGeorge@lemmy.zip 176 points 10 months ago (3 children)

This was a scam from the start. They fucked themselves because their trailer was popular and they promised the world. Their goal was to create a shit early access game with pre-made assets, get lots of buy in when it was released, endure some bad reviews, promise to fix things but then slowly dump support for the game. I've watched this exact thing happen probably ten times now.

What killed them was the hype and popularity. They were called out immediately for what they were doing and got stuck having to now make an actual game or face legal repercussions.

At the very least these cash grabs are getting spotted early and they're not getting to sneak by without facing consequences.

[–] PrettyLights@lemmy.world 55 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Due to the way Steam refunds work I feel this wasn't their end goal unless they really didn't think it through at all.

The theory i subscribe to is that they intended to release a "decent" game but had no experience or intent to make it themselves. The marketing hype machine was to build community hype, which would drive investor funding so they could pay for new talent or to just outsource most of the work. I'm guessing that either didn't materialize or they mismanaged that plan.

[–] thoughtorgan@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I don't think they intended to release anything ever. But there was so much attention an them they had to release something.

They got funding from a Kickstarter right?

[–] PrettyLights@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

Nope, no Kickstarter or obvious public funding before the early access "release".

There's a chance some people weren't able to get refunded but due to Steam's refund policy I suspect most got their money back.

If it was always intended to be a total scam and never release they'd likely have used their own launcher to bypass the Steam revenue share and refund policy.

[–] LinyosT@sopuli.xyz 1 points 10 months ago

They’ve got a history of releasing games and abandoning them.

So I believe this was an attempt at doing the same thing just that TDB ended up getting far more attention than their previous game.

[–] osprior@lemmy.world 43 points 10 months ago (6 children)

Is it still a scam if everyone gets their money back?

This just feels more like incompetence rather than malice.

[–] Carighan@lemmy.world 22 points 10 months ago

This just feels more like incompetence rather than malice.

Yeah although I would argue one does not preclude the other. As in, of course with Hanlon's Razor, this is because of incompetence not malice. But it's also a scam, just one born out of not being any smarter/better.

[–] RaincoatsGeorge@lemmy.zip 9 points 10 months ago

I'd agree with you but then you hear about all the sketch shit with the discord and the volunteers. I think they intended to make a game but planned for it to just be a quick cash grab and then they could just slowly dump it. It's honestly a great strategy, just look at every game the atlas devs have made. They've basically mastered the strategy.

[–] KISSmyOS@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

The investors aren't getting their money back.

[–] OwlPaste@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

Scam is still scam, they could have been realising true gameplay trailers instead of wasting time on rendered false gameplay that does not reflect a game at all

[–] EdibleFriend@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Technically yes it's still a scam. It's just one that didn't pan out for them. In this one particular instance anyways. It will continue to work for others.

[–] CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social 2 points 10 months ago

I mean, it still would represent an attempt at a scam

[–] WashedOver@lemmy.ca 6 points 10 months ago

I get the impression there is a lot of this bait and switch in the mobile gaming circuit with great game play shown on IG ads but the actual gameplay is nothing like advertised?

[–] EuroNutellaMan@lemmy.world 62 points 10 months ago

Lasted less than Liz Truss lmaooo

[–] ReasonablePea@sh.itjust.works 36 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I was so confused by the headline, kept waiting to see what the name of the game was

[–] pulverizedcoccyx@lemmy.ca 13 points 10 months ago

All it needed was to not have all the words capitalized, just the game name.

[–] uvok@pawb.social 6 points 10 months ago

Relevant xkcd

https://xkcd.com/2793/

[–] EmergMemeHologram@startrek.website 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The should have been “Servers For Game The Day Before Shutting Down After Just 45 Days”

[–] AnActOfCreation@programming.dev 18 points 10 months ago

That's still confusing lol. I think the only thing that would've helped is quotes around the game title.

[–] KISSmyOS@lemmy.world 18 points 10 months ago (1 children)

https://www.ign.com/articles/the-day-before-steam-keys-being-sold-for-hundreds-of-dollars

I...wat?

[–] AnActOfCreation@programming.dev 13 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Is this going to turn into one of those things that ends up having a cult following?

[–] GoosLife@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Steams most wishlisted game that had an intricate story of weird events and eventually suffered an early demise after a chaotic release? You bet.

[–] EuroNutellaMan@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

How is it even most wishlists if not by using bots tho like I get I don't pay attention to what's new much but I literally never heard of the game until I heard of the flop

[–] deafboy@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I've discovered this in my own wishlist a few weeks ago. Must've been that "this looks interesting, let's get back to it later" late night steam store browsing, because I do not remember putting it there.

[–] EuroNutellaMan@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

I think it's the Ghost of Ronald Reagan who's doing it.

[–] LunchEnjoyer@lemmy.world 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Refund the game while you still can, if you were silly enough to buy it... Don't let these scammers get away with such nonsense.

[–] flauschke@kbin.melroy.org 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Everybody will automatically refunded

[–] LunchEnjoyer@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

Was not aware, that's great

[–] B0NK3RS@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

Nobody should be surprised and everyone who bought this shit should honestly be thankful they are getting their money back.

[–] mrfriki@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

Well, that’s 43 days longer than I expected.

[–] JackDark@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I thought it wasn't an MMO? Why does it require servers?

[–] c0mbatbag3l@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

You know that extraction shooters still require servers to host the people that are in a match, right? MMO's aren't the only genre that use servers.

[–] momocchi@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

Its still online just 32 people per server

[–] Tarkcanis@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

It's an MO game they just lied about the massively bit.

[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 6 points 10 months ago

In a way it's great that people get their money back, in another way maybe people would learn to not believe the hype if they didn't...

[–] p03locke@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 10 months ago

Skill Up had a very good video describing the whole history of this debacle.

[–] KISSmyOS@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Steam will automatically refund remaining players

Wait, so those players get to enjoy over 1000 hours of playtime and then get all their money back???
Sweet deal!

[–] ThePantser@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

1000 hours waiting for a server, such a sweet deal

[–] chrishazfun@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

They'd be lucky to get 10 hours out of that game

[–] ekZepp@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

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