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Fntastic, the studio behind the failed extraction shooter that was supposed to be an MMO and ultimately tanked the whole studio, has relaunched as Fntastic 2.0 with a "plan for recovery" that includes a new crowdfunded co-op "escape game".
From Steam's most-anticipated MMO to a bland, empty survival shooter that killed a studio, The Day Before is a deeply weird game. You can hit that link to read the whole bizarre story, but it includes a nine-month delay due to a trademark issue, a catastrophic launch met with damning reviews and complaints from players that it wasn't an MMO as originally marketed, seemingly scrubbed genre tags, and then Fntastic's abrupt closure four days after launch. The Day Before was pulled from Steam the same day.
The ensuing fallout lasted for weeks and included allegations from former staff of awful working conditions and mismanagement to the extent that some devs didn't know they were supposed to be making an MMO and inflammatory comments from the studio blaming "the hate campaign" for the whole fiasco.
Over on Fntastic's official website, there's a downloadable PDF that details the studio's plan to win back the trust of its players. The three core "principles" of that plan are:
- Honesty "through direct and honest communication", open communication "without concealing any details", and transparent marketing "free from embellishments."
- Transparency through community engagement "particularly" on Discord, regular dev updates, and free open betas
- Professionalism, which apparently means no more volunteer work. "We will continuously raise all standards and practices, aspiring to become the company that earns your trust and admiration," reads the plan.
The thing is, in an FAQ, Fntastic clearly states: "Some team members are helping out on a goodwill basis". I mean, at least they're being transparent about it this time around, but still, considering volunteers were one of the most controversial aspects of The Day Before while still in development, it's kind of shocking they're still using them.
There's also a list of "strategic objectives" detailed in the plan as well as commitments to "brand rebuilding", and a vision focused "on delivering high-quality gaming experiences, combining innovation, creativity, integrity, and transparency. Our vision guides us toward becoming one of the most loved gaming companies in the world."
Fntastic's new bright blue logo "signifies the company's renewed commitment to transparency and honesty. The clean, modern aesthetic symbolizes a fresh beginning, highlighting a focus on clear communication and openness with the community."
The studio's first game out of the gate is a crowdfunded, phyiscs-based co-op game called Escape Factory, and it looks a lot lower budget than The Day Before, reflecting Fntastic's admission that The Day Before suffered from "overly ambitious goals on a low indie budget and a team without AAA tech experience". Escape Factory is currently in open beta with a free Steam demo.
If the Escape Factory Kickstarter fails to reach its fairly modest funding goal of $15,535, Fntastic will close down again, but if it succeeds, the studio has plans for another prop hunt game as a follow-up to its 2021 game Propnight, which launched in December 2021 and was taken down in January after Fntastic's closure.
"Today, we need your support once again to bring Fntastic back—by funding our new game Escape Factory," Fntastic says. "We sincerely apologize for everything that happened and are committed to making things right."
Here are all of the upcoming indie games we can't wait to play.
