“The Day Before,” once a highly anticipated game, has become a cautionary tale of development gone awry, as revealed in a new documentary by German gaming sites Game Two and GameStar. The investigation, which involved interviews with over 20 former employees and staff from the game’s publisher Mytona, paints a picture of a project marred by misdirection, poor management, and unrealistic ambitions.
Sources describe the development environment at Fntastic, the studio behind “The Day Before,” as chaotic, with the game’s direction frequently changing to mimic trending titles, leading to multiple overhauls of core features. Shockingly, some developers learned about the game’s MMO aspect only through promotional trailers, highlighting a profound communication breakdown within the team.
The treatment of staff raises further concerns, with allegations of unpaid overtime, crunch culture, and even fines imposed on employees for perceived substandard work, including a hefty $1,930 penalty for poor-quality voice recordings. The spontaneous termination of staff added to the toxic work atmosphere, contributing to a pervasive sense of instability.
As “The Day Before” floundered upon release, facing ridicule and immediate backlash, the studio’s founders, the Gotovtsev brothers, disappeared, only to resurface briefly to dissolve Fntastic. Rumors suggest they may have started anew in the mobile gaming sector, leaving behind a legacy of unfulfilled promises and disillusioned staff.
This debacle not only underscores the pitfalls of ambitious game development without clear direction and fair treatment of developers but also serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency and realistic project scope in the gaming industry.
source: pcgamer.com
