The survival game community was shaken late last year when The Day Before, once a highly anticipated open-world survival game, crashed and burned upon release. Just four days later, the game’s developer, Fntastic, shuttered its doors. “The Day Before has failed financially, and we lack the funds to continue,” the studio said in a statement. But now, Fntastic is making a comeback, seeking crowdfunding through Kickstarter to launch a new project.
The studio’s latest venture, Escape Factory, is described as a “physics-based multiplayer co-op escape game.” However, given the controversy surrounding their previous titles—including Propnight, another once-popular game that later fizzled out—Fntastic faces an uphill battle to meet its modest Kickstarter goal of $15,535. Despite this, history shows that stranger things have succeeded on Kickstarter, such as the infamous potato salad campaign, which raised $55,492. Could Fntastic’s next project follow suit?
Fntastic’s troubles began in 2021, when The Day Before was first announced with a glossy trailer that quickly catapulted the game to the top of Steam’s most wishlisted games chart. Gamers were excited by the promise of a zombie MMO with The Last of Us-style graphics, eager to explore an open-world survival experience. But after a series of delays and increasing skepticism from fans, the game finally launched in 2023—and the reception was disastrous.
What players got was a buggy, generic extraction shooter that fell far short of the massive expectations built up over the years. Though the trailer footage and final product didn’t look drastically different, the gameplay was, to put it bluntly, bad. Disappointed fans seemed to have anticipated the letdown, with many showing up for what they expected to be a trainwreck—and that’s exactly what they got.
“We apologize if we didn’t meet your expectations,” Fntastic said in the aftermath. “We did everything within our power, but unfortunately, we miscalculated our capabilities. Creating games is an incredibly challenging endeavor.” Refunds were issued for The Day Before shortly after.
Adding to the studio’s fall from grace were allegations that Fntastic’s founders, Eduard and Aisen Gotovtsev, had been exploiting volunteer labor and penalizing employees for underperformance. Reports emerged that the duo went silent in the days following the game’s launch, only resurfacing to announce the studio’s closure during a brief conference call.
Now, Fntastic is trying to turn things around with what they’re calling “Fntastic 2.0.” While the new studio is smaller, it “still consists of the same people,” according to its leaders. They claim they’ve “discontinued the practice of involving external volunteers” and are “fully committed to a more professional approach.” However, the studio’s FAQ curiously contradicts this claim by stating that “some team members are helping out on a goodwill basis.”
As Fntastic moves forward with Escape Factory, its Kickstarter campaign will be a crucial test of whether the gaming community is willing to give the studio a second chance. While skepticism remains high, anything is possible in the unpredictable world of crowdfunding.
Will Escape Factory turn the tide for Fntastic, or is the studio destined for another misfire? Only time—and Kickstarter backers—will tell.
