The authors of The Day Before lost in court against Yakutian journalists
The Arbitration Court of Yakutia issued a verdict on the lawsuit filed by the developers of The Day Before against the news site "Yakutia.info", which wrote about the game's issues. The court sided with the journalists and denied Fntastic studio's complaint.
The Day Before
The court concluded that "Yakutia.info" did not harm the business reputation of Fntastic. The studio did so itself by releasing The Day Before in a raw state, resulting in a predictable negative reaction from gamers and the press.
The lawyer for "Yakutia.info", Vitaly Obedin, told the media that Fntastic tried to prove its case using linguistic analysis of two articles published by Yakut journalists. In their original versions, these articles claimed that the studio "borrowed mechanics from other games" and that The Day Before was a "scam." Later, the wording was slightly softened. According to Obedin, instead of refuting the analysis, he chose to present arguments in court that justified such criticism of the game.
"A negative tone in a publication by itself does not indicate the dissemination of false or defamatory information […]. A journalist has the right to express opinions on events such as fraud, misinformation, or law violations. To satisfy the lawsuit, evidence needed to be presented that showed the facts stated were untrue — this task proved impossible for Fntastic's representatives," said the lawyer.
Fntastic has not publicly commented on the court's decision. Whether the studio will file an appeal is unknown.