The upcoming post-apocalyptic zombie MMO game, The Day Before, has been delayed to November 2023 over what seems like a trademark issue. The release has been pushed from March 2023 after it was previously delayed back in 2022.
Developer Fntastic and publisher Mytona said in a statement that Steam blocked The Day Before from getting a store page due to a request from a private individual over the name of the game. The studio said that when it announced The Day Before in January 2021 that the name was available to trademark as a video game. After this, it seems like someone registered that name with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Fntastic said that it found out about the trademark issue on January 19, 2023, when the person owning the trademark reached out with a request to talk. “Now we find out all the circumstances of the incident and we will definitely solve everything,” Fntastic said.
Fntastic said that it had been planning on releasing a “lengthy” gameplay video for The Day Before back in January but the video will not be released until the studio can “sort this issue out.” It will be posted “ASAP,” according to the studio.
In regards to the delay, Fntastic said that it was necessary to push the release of The Day Before to November 10, 2023. It acknowledged that some fans might be upset, but that the studio wanted to “release the best possible game.”
“Our 100% focus remains on the game itself and how to deliver you the best game possible. Thank you and we hope for your support.”
A History of Interesting Issues
Back in May 2022, Fntastic announced that The Day Before would move to Unreal Engine 5, delaying the title into 2023. Fntastic has also come under fire before for allegedly using unpaid workers, which it calls “volunteers.”
Company founds Eduard Gotovtsev and Aisen Gotovtsev said Fntastic has more than 100 full-time internal “volunteers” from places like Singapore, Russia, the Netherlands, Thailand, Ukraine, Finland, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. It is also an all-remote studio that has never released a game before.
Fntastic is also currently working with about 40 “supporters” who help with testing and reviewing. Most are based in the US and in a few other countries.
Official details on who is being paid to work on this game are currently unknown.
The Day Before was recently Steam’s most wishlisted game for some time and lots of hype has surrounded the title. Many have likened the game to The Last of Us.
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Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
