Developer Fntastic has announced that its open-world survival MMO The Day Before’s release date has been pushed back to November 10, 2023 as its title has been privately trademarked in the United States. As a result, Fntastic will be also be delaying a “lengthy” gameplay video it planned to release later in January, but promises to “definitely solve everything.”
Read the full statement below:
— Fntastic (@FntasticHQ) January 25, 2023
Dear fans!
Right before the release, Steam blocked our game page at the request of a private individual, because of the name The Day Before.
As you know, our game was announced in January 2021. At the time of the announcement, The Day Before game trademark was available.
After the announcement of the game, the above mentioned individual filled out an application before us to register the game trademark The Day Before in the United States: https://uspto.report/TM/79314174What’s next?
Previously, we were not aware of the existence of claims. We found out about this only on January 19, 2023, when we received a complaint from him and a request to contact him.
Now we find out all the circumstances of the incident and we will definitely solve everything.
We previously planned to post a lengthy gameplay video later this month, but we’ll have to sort this issue out first. We will post a video asap.
As a result, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the launch to November 10, 2023. We understand this may disappoint many of our fans, however we want to ensure we release the best possible game.
Our 100% focus remains on the game itself and how to deliver you the best game possible.Thank you and we hope for your support.
Sincerely, MYTONA and FNTASTIC
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office entry, a Seoul-based “Lee, Sung Jae” filed the trademark application for the name in the US on June 24, 2021. This was nearly six months after The Day Before’s announcement on January 27 earlier in the year. Fntastic claims that it only found out about the trademark application last week after receiving a complaint from Lee. Following Lee’s complaint, Steam has now also blocked The Day Before’s store page.
A “lengthy” The Day Before gameplay video was to be released in January, but Fntastic has said that it will “consult with lawyers” before publishing it, promising to “post a video asap.” Keep in mind that the trademark has not been granted to Lee yet, so the game may still be released as The Day Before should Fntastic successfully reclaim the name.
The Day Before is now set to go live on November 10, 2023 on PC through Steam. Stay tuned here at MP1st for further developments in the situation.