Oh fucking hell. Here we go.
2023 was an interesting year for all sorts of reasons, but one of the most fascinating stories was that of The Day Before finally releasing in 2023 only for people to discover that it was absolutely terrible, nothing like what was promised and was, I maintain, a scam. Like Concord, it was shut down within a week. The developer, Fntastic, shut down.
If you’re interested, I wrote a pretty long article discussing the whole debacle from start to finish. I’m actually quite proud of it, though it never got the attention I hoped it would.
Now, it looks like I’m going to have to update my article because Fntastic are back. Oh boy.
The company has reappeared on social media, now going by the name Fntastic 2.0 and sporting shiny new branding. This being the shady company who said ‘This was our first big experience. Shit happens.’ when The Day Before collapsed.
“Everyone deserves a second chance. We deeply apologize to everyone for The Day Before and take full responsibility for what happened.” reads a tweet from Fntastic. “Check out our plan, Fntastic 2.0, where we share how we’ll fix our past mistakes and are preparing to return better.”
Sure enough, the company is offering a 7 page white paper outlining their new vision for future. The three new principles the company will operate by are honesty, transparency and professionalism, which is hilarious because those aren’t principles you build a company around, those are just everyday things you expect by default.
“Our mission is to create games that will be loved for
decades” says the white paper.
“Our vision is to become one of the most loved game companies by creating fantastic, innovative, and emotionally engaging experiences.”
To that end, Fntastic 2.0 already has a new game in the works called Escape Factory. A free demo is already up, and out of morbid curiosity I might give it a try because it does look like an actual playable game, which is at least 30000% more than I was expecting from the company.
Here’s the blurb for the game: “You play as life-weary workers trying to escape the vicious cycle of deadly factories from which there’s no easy way out. Legend has it that only one great and mysterious individual has ever escaped.
Team up with 4-8 players for pure multiplayer co-op physics-based fun challenges.”
To help make the game, Fntastic are asking for people to give them a second change and donate on Kickstarter, which I refuse to link to. If you want to donate, and that’s entirely up to you, then you can find it easily enough.
They are looking for £11,646 to make the game, and have thus far raised £161 from 7 backers whom I can only assume are relatives who feel obligated. It’s an All or Nothing Kickstarter, though, so if they don’t reach the target then none of the money will be taken.
A special £12,000 back tier (limited to ten spaces) is up for grabs, offering an “unforgettable dinner with the founders of Fntastic.”
Perhaps the most hilarious part of this whole thing is that Fntastic has launched official merch, so now you can spend a fucking staggering £50 to buy a hoodie that says “Fntastic Back to win”
You can’t make this stuff up.
Okay, okay. Honestly, I do generally support the idea of giving people second chances when genuine mistakes are made or poor decisions. However, Fntastic’s destruction was not because of mistakes or even poor decisions: they were incredibly shady, do numerous underhanded things, avoided all responsibility and acted like immature little brats when called out on their behavior. The people in the trenches at Fntastic probably deserve a second chance because weren’t involved in most of the crap that went on, but the founders of the company and everyone else in positions of power should never been allowed near the industry again. Hell, they probably shouldn’t even be allowed to operate a drinks dispenser at a gas station.