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.