Summary
Players exploring the world of Fntastic’sThe Day Beforehave discovered a piece of equipment that seems to exist solely for the purpose of insulting the press, with an item description claiming “no one likes journalists.” This jab comes from a studio which has faced heavy criticism from journalists over the years for, among other things, allegedlycopying other games' trailers to promoteThe Day Before.
Fntastic was plagued by controversy and scandal throughout the development ofThe Day Before, with the accusation of copying trailers being only one among many that were leveled at the company. Despite this, the game generated an extraordinary amount of hype in the lead-up to its release, as fans were incredibly excited by the possibilities inherent in an open-world MMO set in a zombie apocalypse. However, whenThe Day Beforefinally launched in early access and revealed itself to be a buggy, broken, extraction shooter instead, players were quick to turn on the hotly anticipated title and its developers.
But even beforeThe Day Beforewas slammed by overwhelmingly negative reviews, its developers evidently had a bone to pick with journalists. This is evidenced by the Press Armor, a piece of equipment players can loot off of fallen zombies, which displays the following description when hovered over (as reported byPCGamesN): “Sure, you can hope for some sympathy in it, but to be honest, no one likes journalists.” The armor itself is a blue bulletproof vest with the word “PRESS” written across the chest, closely resembling the kind of body armor worn by many real-life reporters doing the dangerous work of conflict journalism.
The Press Armor inThe Day Beforeis one of many lootable items to be found in the game, all of which have their own item descriptions: most of these short snippets of descriptive text are fairly straightforward and functional, making the Press Armor stand out for being nothing more than a vehicle for an insult aimed at journalists. It is possible that other items exist with similarly malicious descriptions, but withplayers abandoningThe Day Beforein drovesfollowing its catastrophic launch, it is becoming less likely that these items will be found and documented.
Even if it is assumed that the description of the Press Armor was meant as a joke rather than a mean-spirited insult, it is still arguably in bad taste considering the real danger faced by conflict journalists doing vital work around the world. With that being said, an item description being in poor taste is possibly the least of the issues plaguingThe Day Before, and considering thatdeveloper Fntastic is shutting downin response to the game’s total failure, it is unlikely that any of these issues will ever be fixed.
The Day Before
WHERE TO PLAY
The Day Before offers players a uniquely reimagined journey into post-apocalyptic open-world MMO survival set in the present day on the US East Coast following a deadly pandemic.SURVIVE AT ALL COSTSFight other players for survival. Survive against the deadly infected. Collect valuable loot.DISCOVER THE NEW POST-PANDEMIC WORLDExplore the beautiful and richly detailed New Fortune City. Enter tall skyscrapers, business centers, massive malls, grand stadiums, and more. Uncover distant surroundings of New Fortune City on stunningly detailed vehicles.REBUILD SOCIETYJoin the Woodberry survivor colony on its mission to rebuild society. Trade items in Woodberry and save your wealth in a personal storage room. Build your own home in the safe zone.
