Upcoming survival MMO The Day Before has been delayed to November after the developers apparently discovered a hitherto-unknown trademark dispute. The new release date is November 10th, which represents a pretty significant delay, so it looks like you'll have a bit longer to wait before you can play this long-awaited game. This dispute has also seen The Day Before's Steam page removed.
Fntastic explains the situation over on its Twitter page. The studio says that "right before the release" of The Day Before (which was originally scheduled to launch on March 1st after being delayed), a "private individual" contacted them and complained that he owned the trademark for the name The Day Before, which meant Fntastic couldn't release the game.
According to Fntastic, this person filled out a trademark application before the studio shortly after the game was announced. You can see that trademark application on the US Patent and Trademark Office website. The individual in question is Sun Jae Lee, who apparently resides in South Korea. It's not entirely clear why Lee felt the need to file the trademark claim.
In Fntastic's announcement, the studio says that it wasn't made aware of these trademark claims until January 19th, but that it has now discovered "all the circumstances of the incident" and that it will "definitely solve everything". Apparently, the delay also extends to a gameplay video, which was scheduled to be released later this month. You'll have to wait a little longer for that, too, as Fntastic says it has to consult with its lawyers before posting the video.
Fntastic says the delay to the game was decided upon as a result of the above legal difficulties. Curiously, however, the studio then says that although it understands the delay will disappoint those who are excited for The Day Before, "we want to ensure we release the best possible game". That's a slightly strange statement to make about a game that was ostensibly delayed due to legal shenanigans rather than a need for additional polish.
If you're unfamiliar with The Day Before, it was originally announced back in January 2021, with developer Fntastic promising an open-world survival MMO sandbox in which you'll scavenge for resources while deciding whether to work against or alongside other players. It's being built on Unreal Engine 5 and is due to arrive on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S as well as PC.
The game has met with controversy due to Fntastic's supposed use of unpaid volunteer work for purposes like localization and QA, but is still one of the most wishlisted games on Steam (it was in second place behind Hogwarts Legacy prior to the Steam page going down). Stay tuned to TechRaptor for more news on this one.
