Earlier this month, the once-highly-anticipated The Day Before launched and quickly crashed and burned in dramatic fashion. As many had begun to suspect, the project was essentially a fake – rather than the open-world zombie MMO promised, developer Fntastic delivered a limited extraction shooter filled with cheap purchased assets and not a lot of fun. Fntastic promptly announced they were shutting their doors, and Steam delisted the game and begun offering refunds to those that asked.
Steam keys for the unavailable disaster game The Day Before are being resold for up to $400, despite its servers' uncertain future
21.12.2023 - 15:37 / pcgamer.com
The Day Before is 2023's fastest-moving disaster—starting off as a top-wishlisted game on Steam after an alluring trailer, it only took four days after its (eventual) launch before the thing was taken down. Following that, theDiscord server, YouTube, and even CEO's social media channels disappeared or were scrubbed. The developer's response? «Shit happens.»
In the wake of this absolute calamity of a launch, you might think that absolutely no-one would want to play The Day Before. Unfortunately, that's not how rarity and value works. As reported by Kotaku, Steam Keys for The Day Before are being sold for anywhere from $200-$400 at the time of writing. That's according to a third-party key seller aggregator GG Deals.
I feel obligated to note that key-selling websites aren't usually trustworthy—not only does GG Deals' page comes complete with risk warnings, but key resellers often source their keys via stolen credit cards or posing as influencers—sometimes even costing indie development studios time and resources to investigate fake key requests or action chargebacks.
As for why The Day Before is selling like this: prices are driven up by two things—supply and demand. We can safely cross out 'demand' from that equation, but considering The Day Before was up for a total of four days, supply is at an all-time low. This means that one of the worst games to come out this year is officially a collector's item. I don't make the rules.
For how long is another question. While studio Fntastic has stated that the «servers will remain operational,» this is the same studio that 'pobody's nerfect'-ed an industry-wide disappointment, so there's no guarantee they'll stay online. If you buy a bunch of mint-conditioned action figures hoping they'll appreciate in value, and they don't, you at least still have the toys to play with.
On the other hand people have spent far more money for temporary experiences. Perhaps I shouldn't judge someone buying something, just because it is fleeting—is a flower any less beautiful because it wilts? Is The Day Before any less magical the day after? At this rate, though, a well-watered bouquet might actually last longer.
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thesixthaxis.com
22.12.2023 / 19:22
The Day Before servers shutdown in January, Steam providing refunds
What has been a bizarre development and release saga for The Day Before is coming to an end, after it has been announced by Mytona that the game will shutdown on January 22nd. The Day Before was billed as an open world survival MMO, but the actual released game was far from what was expected, receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews. The game was released on December 7th, yet a few days later developer Fntastic closed its doors.
rockpapershotgun.com
22.12.2023 / 15:49
The Day Before ends its strange, sad tale by shutting down its servers next month, refunding all Steam players
The Day Before, once Steam’s most wishlisted game before experiencing a bizarre journey through multiple delays, accusations of being a scam, apparent legal disputes and a catastrophic Early Access launch, will shut down its servers in one month. The effective end to the game will accompany refunds for anyone who brought it on Steam.
techradar.com
22.12.2023 / 13:30
The Day Before servers will shut down next month - Steam to ‘proactively refund all remaining players’
It’s been confirmed that The Day Before’s servers will be shut down on January 22, 2024, as developer Fntastic has now “officially ceased operations.”
gamesradar.com
22.12.2023 / 11:40
Once Steam's most wishlisted game, The Day Before goes offline for good next month after just 45 days
The Day Before will be officially retired, with servers taken offline next year on January 22.
gamingbolt.com
22.12.2023 / 07:42
The Day Before Steam Keys Are Selling for $300 on Third-Party Reseller Sites
Considering all the controversy surrounding zombie shooter The Day Before, it should be no surprise that the game has earned a certain level of notoriety. As caught by Kotaku, while the game is no longer available to purchase on Steam, those curious about the title can buy Steam keys for The Day Before from unauthorised third-party resellers.
thegamer.com
21.12.2023 / 01:37
The Day Before Steam Keys Are Being Resold For Over $300
The Day Before will go down as one of 2023's greatest disasters, rated as one of the worst games of the year and was so bad that developer Fntastic decided to close its doors just days after release. The Day Before can no longer be purchased on Steam after that whole saga, but you know that whenever something has limited quantities, the scalpers aren't too far behind, no matter the quality.
gamesradar.com
20.12.2023 / 19:12
The Day Before is dead, but people are still selling its Steam keys for $300
A little more than a week after it was pulled from Steam, The Day Before is selling for hundreds of dollars on the seedy gray market.
ign.com
20.12.2023 / 18:07
The Day Before Steam Keys Being Sold for Hundreds of Dollars
Steam keys for The Day Before, the once highly anticipated game that launched in such a poor state its developer shut down four days later, are being sold online for hundreds of dollars following its delisting.
gamespot.com
20.12.2023 / 17:40
The Day Before Keys Are Being Listed For $300 Each
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gamepur.com
18.12.2023 / 21:56
The Day Before Keys Selling For Wild Amounts Following Studio Closure
The Day Before launched in such a terrible state that its developer shut its doors and is offering refunds to anyone who was even remotely excited about the game. However, it seems as though some people still want to play, as keys are selling for huge markups through resale sites.
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16.12.2023 / 16:53
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