Why Did The Day Before Fail and E3 Shut Down?

TL;DR

The Day Before failed because its released extraction shooter differed sharply from the advertised MMO, performed poorly, used purchased assets, and offered sparse, unsatisfying gameplay. The hosts also argue that E3 disappeared because rising costs, shrinking attendance, social media, and publisher-run presentations made a centralized gaming showcase less practical, even though its concentrated schedule created excitement and competition.

Transcript

the official podcast back at you again here with episode 370 maybe is something like that and what a crazy week it's been huh boys yes I have a question and I think Charlie's the man to answer it what's up with with the day before the day tomorrow what's the big game what's the thing that I can't stop... Read More

Key Insights

• The Day Before was once Steam's most wishlisted game because promotional trailers created strong interest, but the developers' reluctance to show convincing gameplay led viewers to suspect that the advertised product did not exist in the presented form.
• The released game was a $40 extraction shooter rather than the MMO the hosts believed had been advertised. This mismatch between marketing and the delivered genre became a central reason they characterized the launch as deceptive and potentially fraudulent.
• The Day Before's world relied heavily on purchased, pre-made assets, according to the discussion. The hosts argue that this makes claims about overwhelming development costs difficult to accept because major portions of the playable environment were apparently acquired rather than created internally.
• The game's basic systems were described as severely deficient: it ran poorly, limited each instance to 30 players, placed those players across a very large map, and appeared to spawn no more than roughly four slow, unimpressive zombies at once.
• The shooting mechanics reportedly suffered from substantial bullet delay, with shots taking almost a second to reach their destination. Combined with rare encounters, weak zombies, poor performance, and the oversized map, this made the core extraction-shooter experience frustrating and empty.
• The studio announced its closure only four days after release, removed the game from Steam, and deleted its videos. The hosts discuss whether dissolving the company was intended to escape refunds or simply eliminate any obligation to update and repair the game.
• E3 created value by concentrating announcements into one weekend, which encouraged developers and publishers to compete for attention. The hosts remember debates about who won E3 and report cards grading each conference as important parts of the event's appeal.
• E3 became less practical as hosting costs rose, audience attendance declined, and online distribution changed how gaming news was consumed. Publishers could release presentations or trailers directly through social media instead of waiting for an expensive centralized conference.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why did The Day Before fail after its release?

The Day Before failed because the released product differed significantly from what the hosts believed its trailers had advertised. Instead of the expected MMO, buyers received a $40 extraction shooter with poor performance, purchased assets, sparse enemies, delayed shooting, and a large map that made encounters uncommon. Four days later, the studio announced its closure, removed the game from Steam, and deleted its videos.

Q: Was The Day Before considered a scam before launch?

Suspicion began before launch because the developers repeatedly postponed showing convincing gameplay, while promotional trailers appeared unrepresentative of the final product. Some observers concluded that the game might not exist at all or that its presentation was fraudulent. Its eventual release confirmed part of that concern for the hosts because the delivered extraction shooter was markedly different from the MMO they said had been advertised.

Q: What was wrong with The Day Before's gameplay?

The hosts describe nearly every central gameplay element as defective or underdeveloped. The game ran badly, limited each instance to 30 players, and spread them across a map so large that meetings were rare. Only about four zombies appeared at once during the described experience, and those enemies were slow and unimpressive. Shooting also had nearly a second of noticeable bullet delay.

Q: Did The Day Before use purchased game assets?

The discussion says The Day Before relied extensively on purchased, pre-made assets. The hosts specifically claim that the map containing the game's entire playable zone was an asset the studio bought. They use this point to question where substantial development spending could have gone, arguing that the game's poor construction and dependence on existing assets did not display extensive original production work.

Q: Could buyers receive refunds for The Day Before?

The hosts state that buyers could still request refunds through Steam after the studio closed and the game was removed. They were uncertain whether Steam or the developer ultimately absorbed those costs, but one participant suggested Steam holds sales revenue for a period before paying it out. The discussion therefore rejects the assumption that closing the studio automatically allowed its operators to retain every purchase payment.

Q: Why did The Day Before's studio close so quickly?

The studio announced its closure four days after The Day Before launched, but the hosts do not establish a definitive motive. They consider several possibilities, including an effort to avoid refunds or future updates, a deliberate attempt to take launch revenue, or bankruptcy caused by accumulated development debt. They remain skeptical of the debt explanation because the released game used many purchased assets and appeared poorly made.

Q: Why was E3 important to gaming audiences?

E3 concentrated major gaming announcements and presentations into a short annual period that the hosts compare to a holiday. Its shared schedule encouraged publishers and developers to compete for attention, producing discussions about which company won the event and conference report cards that graded each presentation. The hosts valued both polished announcements and awkward, unpredictable moments that made the event feel less controlled.

Q: Why did E3 shut down permanently?

The hosts attribute E3's decline to a combination of rising event costs, diminishing attendance, changing media consumption, and publishers gaining the ability to communicate directly with audiences. Social media could deliver trailers to millions without requiring companies to wait for a conference. Nintendo also demonstrated that companies could run their own presentations, allowing announcements to happen whenever suitable material was ready.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Day Before became highly wishlisted on Steam after trailers promoted what appeared to be an MMO. Suspicion grew when its developers repeatedly delayed meaningful gameplay footage. When the $40 release arrived, the hosts found an extraction shooter built heavily from purchased assets, with severe performance, population, combat, and enemy-density problems.

• Four days after release, the studio announced its closure, removed The Day Before from Steam, and deleted its videos. The hosts debate whether this was an intentional scam, an attempt to avoid future support obligations, or the consequence of debt. They note that Steam refunds remained available and may limit retained revenue.

• E3's permanent end prompts both nostalgia and practical analysis. Its concentrated schedule once felt like a gaming holiday and encouraged publishers to compete through memorable presentations. However, increasing production costs, declining attendance, social media distribution, Nintendo-style direct presentations, and companies controlling their own announcement schedules weakened the need for a centralized annual event.