Just when you thought developer Fntastic was finished after the collapse of the company following the catastrophic launch of their flagship title The Day Before, the team has returned to life with a series of tweets and a brand-new Kickstarter. The developers state that they have a long way to go to rebuild player trust and with only $15,535 USD on the line to fully fund ‘Fntastic 2.0’, confidence in the studio is still at an all time low with only a 1% funding goal reached after the first 8 days.
The story of The Day Before is one that has had some unusual peaks and valleys. From the moment it became the most Wishlisted game on Steam, to the time it was delisted due to a trademark dispute that they eventually overcame, to its multiple delays and inevitable release that ended with an overwhelming number of refunds in only 4 days, it’s a developmental soap-opera fans were able to watch unfold in real-time. Earlier this year it was reported that Fntastic was building a new game, and it seems that the team in the least has followed through with what appears to be concept of a game with a Kickstarter for an action co-op physics-based game called Escape Factory.
The game itself has a demo available on Steam, and allows up to eight players taking on the guise of minion-like characters who travel through a dangerous factory together. With plenty of danger afoot it seems only the cunning will survive. Fntastic and the Kickstarter, on the other hand, will likely see far more challenges in regaining the trust of their players. The team has posted a response to former fans of their games on Twitter.
Regaining trust will be tough, but we're motivated to make more games if our Kickstarter succeeds. With its 'all or nothing' model, contributions will be refunded if we miss the target. We value your support, and all funds will go to development, not profit.
— Fntastic (@FntasticHQ) September 26, 2024
They have also taken to the comments, responding to former players who have expressed their skepticism in the project, alleging that “This time, we’re focused on doing things right,” as they answer questions about state of the former games that they had developed that they no longer have the rights to. The website details a few of the changes the studio has made since their initial shutdown, such as ‘transparency’ and discontinuing the practice of using external volunteers.
However, their site goes on to say that the team at Fntastic still consists of mostly the same people, and some of the team is helping on a ‘goodwill basis’, but doesn’t go into it any further. Fntastic also put together a snazzy PDF recovery plan, with integral ‘Strategic Objectives’ planned for 2024 and 2025 such as ‘strengthen community engagement’, and ‘expand professionalism’.
According to the developers, the Fntastic 2.0 vision can only come true with the success of the Kickstarter. On Twitter, Fntastic has already teased creation of a prop hunting game similar to Prop Night, if they are triumphant in their Kickstarter for Escape Factory. The unnanounced Prop Hunt game can be found on their website as an unannounced title.
Escape Factory reaching the 15-thousand-dollar goal is not set in stone. Kickstarter tracking and trending site Kicktraq shows, at the time of this article, Escape Factory’s funding trajectory will reach less than half of its goal before the end of its campaign. The future of Fntastic 2.0 is not assured, and the fate of Escape Factory hangs in the balance. For those curious to see what the team is working on, the free demo of Escape Factory is available on Steam. But tread carefully—Fntastic’s reputation isn’t easily escaped
