The Day Before developers claim delay was planned before trademark issue

Story continues to change

Confusion around The Day Before, Steam’s second-most wishlisted game behind Hogwarts Legacy, continues. Just days before the developers wanted to show a long-promised gameplay video, Steam removed the game’s store page. Russian-based developer Fntastic first blamed minor technical issues on Steam’s side, then publicly cited a trademark dispute – apparently they had not secured a proper trademark two months before they wanted to release the title.

Using the trademark dispute as an excuse, the developers not only canceled the release of the gameplay video, which would have been the first showcase in two years, but also delayed the game until November 10, 2023. That would be a long time so solve a simple legal issue.

The situation raised many red flags and had even leading community members doubt that the game exists in the first place.

Speaking to IGN, the developers now contradict their earlier statement – again – and claim that the game’s delay had been planned before the trademark issue even came up. A video with ten minutes of gameplay footage was supposed to be released to accompany the announcement.

"And then you all know what happened. So to be on the safe side, to ensure there are no more transfers, we, along with the publisher, chose November 10. That is a safe date, given the trademark dispute", the studio’s co-founders Eduard and Aisen Gotovtsev said. "The extra time will allow us to better prepare for the release and make the overall improvements for the game. It will become even more polished, optimized, and content-filled."

While it’s plausible that a team mostly made up of volunteers would have issues with establishing a precise development timeline and would have to delay its game, this doesn’t explain the fact that Fntastic has repeatedly made excuses, blaming its own failures on external circumstances, and refuses to address any of those issues. If the delay was planned, why blame it on something that has nothing to do with it?

Unfortunately, the two brothers did not address that issue, nor did they say anything about the gameplay video, which the company says has to be cleared by lawyers before it can be released. The Day Before continues to mystify and raise suspicions.