The premise couldn't be more desirable. A post-apocalyptic open-world multiplayer zombie game focused on resource gathering, exploration and of course combat when the going gets tough. A kind of The Last of Us, but to be shared with players from all over the world. To top it all off, the game announcement videos couldn't be more incredible. It's called “The Day Before” and it promised them so much happiness that it became the most sought-after game in the huge Steam online store. It came out on the 7th and has been in the headlines around the world ever since because it sucks.
While there were hints that the game might not live up to its promise, they weren't that clear. Or maybe it's just because everyone has chosen to ignore them. Because it is not the first time that we have spoken about the desire for the community to exceed its own expectations. And we've already pointed out here how the industry is exploiting the hyper-connectivity in which players live to send messages that receive excessive response in a matter of seconds. Not to mention an entire ecosystem of YouTubers, Twitchers, TikTokers, and all sorts of content creators that feed off news and events like these. In addition, we must make it clear that in a young industry like this, novelties are so popular that they significantly influence even the awards, where surprises are always more important than those that meet expectations, no matter how high they may be. Finally, in a scenario of massive delays due to the pandemic, the successive delays announced by the game developers (a small Russian studio founded in 2015 with no game to speak of) also raised no suspicion. Everyone saw it, but no one wanted to see it, which helped the hype machine run its course.
But then came the real game. And the bubble burst.
What were crowded streets, challenging enemies, and overwhelming graphics in the videos became empty scenarios, wasted difficulty, and a bug-filled experience in the real game. The euphoria turned into a feeling of being teased. We talk about a lot of neologisms in this area, but “vaporware,” which is a derogatory term used to describe software products that don’t deliver what they promise, hasn’t existed in these parts yet. You are very welcome.
No Man's Sky (2016) and Cyberpunk 2077 (2020) are the most recent and loudest examples of games that didn't live up to their promise. However, while these were limited to disappointments following media reports that were beyond the control of their creators, The Day Before is further evidence of falling straight into the quagmire of fraud.
Rendered videos were sold as game videos; Many aspects that the game was supposed to feature were spoofed. There were also a number of bad practices specific to the digital world, such as unnecessarily extending the first two hours of the game to use up the Steam trial period (which refunds money if it is used before the end of this short one period is claimed). . Expression). A few days ago, the game announced that it would be closing its servers permanently in January. It will be as if it never existed. If it ever existed.
But let's not kid ourselves: no matter how much The Day Before is called a specific hoax in the world of video games, the truth is that it is an example of a fairly widespread practice throughout the digital world, from social networks to to digital media: that of companies that, with seemingly good ideas and confident speeches, set out to raise money from retail investors who see this ecosystem as a quick way to make money, but who often find that their investment is lost disappeared. It's a bad art that we should all be more aware of. So I hope that The Day Before is at least intended to be that, this game to which, once we have played it, we can only attribute the virtue of a great title. At least we can't deny that.
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