God Save Birmingham Sparks Debate Among Developers

Medieval zombie survival game God Save Birmingham burst onto the scene in April with an 8-minute gameplay trailer that generated equal parts excitement and skepticism. While its Birmingham setting became a running joke, many viewers questioned whether the polished animations represented actual gameplay or pre-rendered footage meant to mislead.

The Controversial Comparison

Some critics went so far as to label God Save Birmingham a "fake game" or even a "scam," drawing parallels to the infamous The Day Before. For context, The Day Before was one of gaming’s most disastrous releases—promoted as an ambitious open-world survival MMO but launching as a stripped-down, barely functional extraction shooter. IGN famously scored it a near-unprecedented 1/10, and the servers shut down mere days after its Early Access debut.

A Chance for Redemption

Following the viral response to April’s trailer, publisher Kakao Games and developer Ocean Drive showcased a playable demo at PAX East and released updated footage that better reflected the game’s current state. While this helped counter some skepticism, lingering doubts persist—particularly those "scam game" comparisons.

To understand whether God Save Birmingham can escape this shadow, I spoke with Ocean Drive CEO Jae Kim and head of publishing Jungsoo Lee. Surprisingly, both embraced the Day Before comparison—and their reasoning might change your perspective. Read on to see why.