Oh fucking hell. here we go.
2023 is an interesting year for a variety of reasons, but one of the most fascinating stories is that The Day Before was finally released in 2023, but people found it to be absolutely terrible and not at all what it promised to be, and I insist, A scam. Like Concord, it closed within a week. Developer Fntastic collapsed.
If you’re interested, I wrote a long article discussing the entire disaster from beginning to end. In fact, I’m very proud of it, even though it never got the attention I’d hoped for.
Now, it looks like I have to update my article because Fntastic is back. Oh, boy.
The company reappeared on social media, now renamed Fntastic 2.0 and sporting a shiny new brand. This is a shady company and they say “this is our first big experience”. Bad things happen. When the previous day crashed.
“Everyone deserves a second chance. We deeply apologize for the incident the day before yesterday and take full responsibility for what happened.” read a tweet from Fntastic. “Check out our plans for Fntastic 2.0, where we will be Share how to correct past mistakes and prepare to come back better. “
Sure enough, the company provided a 7-page white paper outlining their new vision for the future. The three new principles by which the company will be run are honesty, transparency and professionalism, which is interesting because these are not the principles on which you build your company, these are just everyday things that you preset expectations for.
“Our mission is to create beloved games
decades,” the white paper says.
“Our vision is to become one of the most popular gaming companies by creating exciting, innovative and engaging experiences.”
To this end, Fntastic 2.0 has developed a new game called Escape Factory. The free demo is out and out of morbid curiosity I might give it a try since it does look like a real playable game, which is at least 30,000% more than I expected from the company.
The game description reads: “You play as a life-weary worker trying to escape the deadly factory’s vicious cycle, from which there is no easy way out. Legend has it that only one great and mysterious man has ever escaped.
Team up with 4-8 players for pure multiplayer co-op and fun physics-based challenges.
To help make the game, Fntastic is asking people to give them a second mod and donate on Kickstarter, but I refuse to link to that site. If you want to donate, it’s entirely up to you, so you can easily find it.
They are looking for £11,646 to make the game and so far have raised £161 from 7 backers who I can only assume are obligated relatives. This is an all-or-nothing Kickstarter, though, so if they don’t hit their goal, not a penny will be taken away.
A special back row (limited to 10 seats) worth £12,000 is up for grabs, offering “an unforgettable dinner with the founder of Fntastic”.
Perhaps the funniest part of this whole thing is that Fntastic has launched official merch, so now you can buy a ‘Fntastic Back to win’ hoodie for a fucking staggering £50
You can’t make this stuff up.
Okay, okay. Honestly, I do support the idea of giving people a second chance when they make a real mistake or make a bad decision. However, Fntastic’s undoing wasn’t due to mistakes or even bad decisions: they were very shady, did a lot of shitty things, avoided all responsibility, and acted like immature little kids when their actions were called out. The people on the Fntastic front lines probably deserve a second chance since they weren’t involved in most of the crap that happened, but the company’s founders and others in positions of power should no longer be allowed anywhere near the industry. Hell, they probably shouldn’t even be allowed to operate drink machines at gas stations.
