Fntastic, the publisher of The Day Before, has been criticized of infringing on a Call of Duty video after the newest teaser for the game received a negative reception. Though it was launched over two years ago, the aforementioned title has swiftly become a phenomenon among players. Consumers’ concerns about misleading marketing surfaced when The Day Before’s launch was repeatedly postponed, and the game was removed from Steam for an unusual instance of trademark infringement. Given the timing of this announcement, after the publication of two underwhelming gameplay trailers, it has the potential to further inflame the situation.
The Day Before is a survival MMO set in the post-apocalyptic United States, where players must forage for resources and battle off flesh-eating zombies to make it through the day. Earlier teasers showed gamers battling it out in a highly realistic setting against waves of undead and opposing patrols. Based on the early buzz, The Day Before quickly rose to become Steam’s second most-wanted game. But then, as days progressed on and issues mounted, potential buyers began to wonder whether the game was nothing more than a sham.
Unfortunately, the game’s reputation took another hit soon following the publication of shiny new gameplay trailers. Observed by Twitter user Chrome, the opening cinematography of the first gameplay teaser is very similar to the opening cinematography of the first Zombies teaser for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which centered on the level Die Maschine. The astute viewer even gives frame-by-frame images pinpointing the similarities between the Call of Duty: Zombies video and The Day Before teaser. Although it’s possible that this is all a huge fluke, the game’s problematic reputation doesn’t help matters.
The Day Before clearly draws on a variety of games for their ideas. Initially, the game’s marketing materials and teasers showed a setting that seemed to combine elements from both Tom Clancy’s The Division as well as The Last of Us. The trailer’s dramatic sequences may be an instance of developer company Fntastic borrowing ideas from another highly regarded zombie shooter. Plagiarism charges are serious, but gamers should use caution and rely exclusively on legitimate sources.
Many users have drawn comparisons between the present state of affairs and the similarly named abandoned game. The launch of The Day Before was originally scheduled for November. However, it has already been pushed back.
