The Day Before: Fntastic's Rebranding as Eight Points
A deep dive into the controversial rebranding of Fntastic as Eight Points following the disastrous launch of The Day Before.
The Rise and Fall of The Day Before
Following the disastrous launch of The Day Before, Fntastic may not have actually shut down, but rather re-branded itself as Eight Points. Merely four days after releasing its post-apocalyptic zombie shooter, Fntastic announced it was closing down its studio due to financial failure. When The Day Before was initially announced, players were excited about the idea of an MMO survival game set in a zombie apocalypse, especially once Fntastic made the switch to Unreal Engine 5.
the day before fntastic name changed to eight points steamdb
However, one controversy followed another, as The Day Before faced several delays – and even a trademark dispute – on its troubled way to launch. When it made its debut on Steam, The Day Before released to overwhelmingly negative reviews, with Fntastic being forced to close down the game's official Discord server merely hours after launch. The surge of angry criticism came not only due to The Day Before's false marketing, but also due to the content of the game itself. The playable map was merely an asset swap purchased on the Unreal Engine marketplace, allegedly assembled by volunteers, and its gameplay was littered with bugs.
Despite announcing future updates for The Day Before's early access, the overwhelming negativity proved too much for Fntastic. The studio closed down, and Valve removed the ability for players to purchase The Day Before on Steam. However, according to data on SteamDB, it appears that the developer name for The Wild Eight, another game from the same studio, was changed from Fntastic to Eight Points. Due to Fntastic's lack of credibility, it's natural to assume that the studio attempted to covertly re-brand itself to escape the ire of the gaming community. That being said, the truth appears to be much simpler: a different studio altogether wanted to distance itself from the Fntastic brand.
The Controversy and Fallout
Eurogamer reached out to publisher HypeTrain Digital to clarify the emerging situation. While The Wild Eight was developed by Fntastic initially, the studio discontinued its work after launching the title for early access on Steam. HypeTrain Digital continued development of The Wild Eight independently, before severing all business ties with Fntastic in 2017. The problematic association with The Day Before caused HypeTrain Digital to change the developer listed on Steam to Eight Points, as the game received a flood of negative reviews from disgruntled The Day Before players.
Following the release of The Day Before on December 7, 2023, a wave of negative reviews for The Wild Eight began, unrelated to the game itself but associated with the original development studio, Fntastic. Yesterday, we made the decision to remove any mention of the developer Fntastic from the game's page.
As any and all social media presence for The Day Before has been scrubbed by Fntastic, it would appear that the studio behind the infamous zombie shooter truly closed down for good. While there is always the possibility that it will return under a new name in the future, this experience will probably cause players to be even more wary of pre-launch hype.
The Rebranding Truth
The controversial rebranding of Fntastic to Eight Points has raised many questions about the studio's credibility and the future of their games. The decision to distance themselves from the Fntastic brand has led to speculation and assumptions about the true reasons behind this rebranding. However, it's important to consider the involvement of other studios, such as HypeTrain Digital, and the impact of negative reviews on the gaming community.
As the gaming industry continues to evolve, the aftermath of The Day Before's launch and the rebranding of Fntastic to Eight Points serve as a cautionary tale for developers and players alike. The importance of transparency, quality, and genuine engagement with the gaming community has become more crucial than ever, and it is clear that the repercussions of a failed launch can extend far beyond the initial release.
The future of Fntastic, now operating as Eight Points, remains uncertain, but one thing is for certain – the legacy of The Day Before will leave a lasting impact on the gaming industry and the expectations of players worldwide.
