‘Most delusional developers in history’ return as The Day Before’s Fntastic announce new game

Never say die? (Fntastic)

Fntastic has cancelled and announced a new game in the same tweet, but people are far from excited after the fiasco of The Day Before.

One of the biggest flops in video games, during the last few years, was The Day Before, which was blasted by the few who got to play it before it was delisted not long after it launched in late 2023.

In the aftermath, developer Fnastic announced it would shutdown, saying, ‘This was our first big experience. S*** happens.’

The developer is back, however, revealing that a recent failed Kickstarter campaign means they’re now cancelling the project, while announcing that they’re starting work on a new horror game.

Some time after the debacle of The Day Before, Fntastic created a Kickstarter, asking fans for help to fund their next project: a ‘physics-based multiplayer co-op escape game’ called Escape Factory.

It completely failed, as the developer only raised £1,800, from 50 backers, out of its total goal of £11,500.

Fntastic now says on Twitter that it has ‘temporarily suspended’ work on Escape Factory, but in the same breath announced a new game called Items.

‘Your wishes are very important to us, and we are happy to announce the start of development on a new action-horror prop hunt game called Items,’ they said, pointing to a poll it had done earlier, asking fans what games they want.

Fntastic goes on to say that once they have a playable demo, they ‘may launch a new Kickstarter campaign or explore other options for release’.

To help with costs, the developer says that it will launch mobile games ‘in parallel to support the process’.

The tweet has been bombarded with criticism, with Viking Nilsen saying:

‘Are you f****** mad? If any people give these guys money, then they live in the same universe as unicorns. This is wild that you actually are taking further steps to make yet another game. This is what? The second or third title after The Day Before?’

The Fntastic Twitter account replied, saying, ‘We know our decisions and projects might not be for everyone, but we’re working hard to create a game that our supporters will like and enjoy.’

Fntastic refuses to give up, despite everything(Fntastic)

It was far from the only negative feedback the announcement of Items got, with many calling it a ‘scam’ and one calling the developer ‘the most delusional group of developers in history’.

The criticism is based on the many accusations against Fntastic during the development of The Day Before, including, via Insider Gaming, using unpaid volunteers to make the game and very little actual gameplay being shown before launch.

The developer created its first game, The Wild Eight, with the help of $60,000 from a Kickstarter campaign, but it abandoned the game after it was received poorly by fans and critics.

After The Day Before was aborted, Fntastic released a statement refuting the allegations that it had deceived anyone, while saying a ‘hate campaign’ had been started with ‘negative bias instilled by certain bloggers’ which caused ‘significant damage’ to The Day Before’s reputation.

The announcement of Items hasn’t had the best reception (Twitter)

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