Fntastic, the Russian game developer announced earlier this week that The Day Before release date would be pushed a few more months again due to a trademark claim.
What is the trademark issue that pushed The Day Before release date?
The game developer released a public statement on their official Twitter page earlier this week. Before their update, the game was removed from Steam, before they could reveal a new gameplay trailer. Fntastic said that the removal was caused by a trademark infringement lawsuit filed against the title, which it was just made aware of on January 19. The intended gameplay presentation was postponed due to the disagreement, and the scheduled release date was changed from March 1 to November 10.
— Fntastic (@FntasticHQ) January 25, 2023
Regarding the concerns and claims that The Day Before release date keeps being pushed and the game isn’t genuinely in production, a lot of controversies emerged. The discussions have been exploding on its Reddit page and Discord server and Fntastic insisted that its game would be launched regardless of the frenzied discussion at the present.
As soon as the approval from attorneys arrives, Fntastic announced on Twitter that it will release the promised gameplay footage. That also sounds a little odd in the context of a straightforward trademark dispute, so maybe that level of prudence is necessary. In any case, we are eager to see it and hope to do so soon.
The devs say the game’s delay was already planned, and the trademark issue only added some extra time to The Day Before release date. They spoke to IGN and released the below statement:
“For us and millions of people, The Day Before is a childhood dream come true. It’s a game with zombies and other people in a huge postapocalyptic skyscraper city. We understand that some players, not seeing the whole picture, might have doubts about the game. Our whole focus has always been on the product itself.
We’ve been creating the game for four years. All these years have been full of sweat and blood to make this game, and for many members of our team, it is unpleasant to hear such accusations. We didn’t take a penny from people: no crowdfunding, no pre-orders, no donations. The game is fully funded by Mytona, one of the largest mobile publishers in the world, who checked the game’s build at every milestone per our contract.
We made a real inner breakthrough when we decided to go for big challenges from the bottom—so big that some people would consider them impossible. Making a fantastic journey from the very ends of the earth, we feel like that simple guy from 90s action movies. You probably remember him as the hero who breaks through the veil of disbelief when no one believes in him, but he finds the inner strength to win and prove to everyone what he is worth in the end.
We only believe in the final product. No matter what anyone says, you’ll see for yourself on November 10 this year. We hope that after the game’s success, we’ll give people faith that in this life, if you persevere toward a dream, it will come true, despite all the obstacles and doubts.”
Also, last year, IGN released an exclusive gameplay trailer, which revealed more about the game.
What is The Day Before release date?
At the moment, Fntastic pushed the release date from from 1st of March to the 10th of November 2023. This isn’t the first time it gets delayed, as it previously had a nearly one-year delay due to the transition from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5.
The game was the most wishlisted title on Steam, after Hogwarts Legacy. Hopefully this time, The Day Before release date is real and the game will no longer be delayed.
