New details surrounding the disastrous launch and swift demise of Fntastic’s The Day Before paint a shocking picture of mismanagement, unrealistic expectations, and a toxic work environment.
German publications GameStar and Game Two recently published their investigations into the making of The Day Before, based on interviews with 16 former Fntastic employees, one volunteer, and seven employees of publisher Mytona.
The reports unveil a stark contrast between the ambitious open-world survival game presented to the public and the reality behind the scenes.
What began as a small-scale, cartoonish survival project with a wintery aesthetic gradually morphed into a behemoth chased by industry trends. Constant changes, including shifts to a different engine, more realistic visuals and larger maps, reportedly left many developers “disappointed” and struggling to keep up.
Fntastic founders Eduard and Aisen Gotovtsev are portrayed as demanding and volatile leaders, pressuring staff with unrealistic deadlines and overpromises. Sources allege frequent firings were used as “motivation,” including one tester dismissed a week before launch for a minor bug. Mistakes were met with financial penalties, with two developers reportedly fined $1,930 for “low quality” voice recordings.
Crunch culture ran rampant, with employees reporting 16-hour workdays and extended periods without a single day off. One source described “begging for a few hours break just to find time for a shower or a meal.”
This relentless pressure allegedly resulted in staff feeling trapped in a “big family” environment that masked a deeply stressful and demanding reality.
The Day Before’s launch in December 2023 was met with overwhelming criticism for its unpolished gameplay and technical issues.
Fntastic’s response, attributing failure to “our first big experience” and offering refunds while shutting down the studio, left many feeling misled and frustrated. The company later blamed “bloggers” and “content creators” who’ve “triggered a gold rush” by profiting off a hate campaign against the failed game.
The servers were taken offline just a month later, closing the project altogether.
While Fntastic remains silent on the new reports, these revelations raise serious questions about the company’s management practices and ethics.
Which is concerning, because while The Day Before appears done, it doesn’t sound like the Gotovtsevs are done making games – in fact, they already appear to be working on a new one.
But here’s the harsh truth: the Gotovtsevs have no place in the industry, and their games deserve nothing but a wide berth.
This isn’t just about a bad game; it’s about unscrupulous individuals who engaged in a campaign of deceit, exploited workers, and otherwise threw ethics out the window. The Day Before should be remembered as a cautionary tale, a stark reminder that chasing trends and exploiting people never leads to happy endings. And if you see the Gotovtsevs’ names on another project, don’t walk. Run.
