The Day Before, one of Steam’s most-wishlisted open-world survival MMOs, got pulled from Valve’s storefront earlier this week. The game’s disappearance from the shop has been attributed to a trademark dispute, which developer Fntastic claims has caused Steam to block their game page, leading to yet another delay in release. Now, amidst internet chatter questioning whether the game even exists, the developer has come out and claimed it planned to delay the game even before the trademark dispute surfaced. In a statement to IGN, Fntastic has also shut down speculation over the game being a ‘scam’.

“We planned to move the game’s release before and plan to announce it with [publisher] Mytona in a 10-minute gameplay video,” the developer told IGN. “And then you all know what happened. So to be on the safe side, to ensure there are no more transfers, we, along with the publisher, chose November 10. That is a safe date, given the trademark dispute.” The now twice-delayed game will utilise the additional time to ensure a polished and “content-filled” experience by launch day. As for the gameplay video, Fntastic intends to consult its lawyers first before publishing it.

Despite the allegations being hurled against them, The Day Before developers seem optimistic about the end result — even dismissing claims that they are running a scam of some kind. “We didn’t take a penny from people: no crowdfunding, no pre-orders, no donations. The game is fully funded by Mytona, one of the largest mobile publishers in the world, who checked the game’s build at every milestone per our contract,” their statement reads.

The Day Before was delisted from Steam earlier this week and it was revealed that the studio never bothered claiming a trademark for its name, before announcing the title in January 2021. As per Fntastic, this allowed a private individual to fill out an application before them, and register the trademark for the name “The Day Before,” in the US. In an effort to resolve this issue, the developer has now decided to postpone the game’s launch to November 10.

“Previously, we were not aware of the existence of claims,” an open letter from developer Fntastic and publisher Mytona read after the game vanished from Steam. “We found out about this only on January 19, 2023, when we received a complaint from him and a request to contact him.” The studio was planning to drop a “lengthy gameplay video” later this month — just two months before launch — but has decided to hold off on that as well. Understandably, this baffling situation has raised suspicion on the internet, with the vocal majority suggesting that the game might not have been in development at all. Even The Day Before’s community Discord moderators are doubtful about whether the game is real or not. To their credit, very little is known about The Day Before, beyond its flashy announcement trailer, followed by an orchestrated gameplay footage, promising a supreme zombie-killing affair.

While The Day Before was initially expected to release in 2022, it was then delayed to March 1 this year, with regard to a change in the development engine. As per a statement given to IGN last year, Fntastic claimed that it was switching to Epic Games’ new Unreal Engine 5 technology, which would only “make the gameplay of The Day Before even more fantastic.” This new delay and accusations have caused Fntastic to open up, insisting that plans to move the release date further were in motion before the trademark issue mounted up — pushing the launch date by eight months.

Set in a desolate, post-pandemic US, The Day Before has players survive hordes of flesh-eating zombies by scavenging for resources, crafting equipment, and driving around in vehicles. Think of it like The Division meets The Last of Us — at least going by the sparse knowledge we have of the game. Fntastic previously created the multiplayer hide-and-seek game Propnight — a 4v1 affair, in which a killer tracks down survivors in the eerie night.

The Day Before is now slated to release November 10 on PC.