It is that time of year again as April Fools Day comes around and causes chaos for everyone in the gaming industry, as we have no idea what is real or what is fake. As always, there are many different game developers who love to join in with the shenanigans of April Fools, and to commemorate that, below is a list of some of the best ‘announcements‘ we could find.
Please keep in mind that these are all joke announcements; some are real, and some are fake, so please take them with a grain of salt and enjoy them for what they are: a joke.
April Fools Joke Number 5: Elden Ring Expansion
To start off, let’s ease in with a rather simple April Fools announcement, which is a small video clip that was released to Elden Ring’s Twitter/X account. It is only 15 seconds long and features a logo within said video clip that just says “Elden Ring Expansion.”.
Tarnished, look upon this #ELDENRING expansion. pic.twitter.com/nR8KlR40XT
— Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS) April 1, 2024
This is very clearly a teaser from Bandai Namco, which is being used to make fun of players who are eagerly awaiting an announcement regarding Shadow of the Erdtree, and it worked.
April Fools Joke Number 4: Aggro Crab
This April Fools joke is rather funny and shocking as it is regarding a game not many gamers will be aware of, which is Aggro Crab. This game tasks players with taking control of a crab in the vast ocean as they are required to fight in a Soulslike scenario throughout the dark depths.
"Another Crab's Treasure is too colorful and cutesy to be a soulslike."
— AGGRO CRAB (@AggroCrabGames) April 1, 2024
We've heard the complaints. And we agree. So we've created an option for the REAL souls players. Introducing…
😈 DARK SOULSLIKE MODE 😈 pic.twitter.com/jOrDgvc3ty
What makes this so funny is the fact that the game would usually be quite bright, happy, and full of funny jokes; however, this April Fools joke talks about a “new” feature that turns it into a traditional Dark Souls experience called “DARK SOULSLIKE MODE.“.
In this game mode, the light and colourful world has all of the colour drained from it, making it rather monochrome. The happy-looking crap becomes depressed to the point where it even trails its weapon behind it, like life has no meaning. And in the video on Twitter/X, they also make a joke, saying, “We also added Anor Lando, f*ck it,” which is the most famous city in the Dark Souls franchise.
April Fools Joke Number 3: Palworld
Have you ever looked at Palworld and thought, I’d love to have relations with these creatures? If you have, then I am sorry to say that Palworld teased a dating sim on Twitter/X, but it ended up being an April Fools joke that, depending on your point of view, would either be amazing or horrifying.
#Palworld Dating Sim💕
— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) March 31, 2024
"Pal♡world! ~More Than Just Pals~"
Will you remain friends or fall in love?
Or dismantle and eat them…🍴
Pals take off their clothes⁉️ An adult version will also be released🔞#AprilFoolsDay
*Update for Palworld is coming soon! pic.twitter.com/SHZF5QatLw
Thanks to a “trailer” that was released by the Palworld official Twitter/X, we can see that this version of the game would have been similar to other dating sims but, understandably, would task players with flirting with Pals.
One of the majorly strange teases from this announcement is the fact that the Pals would wear clothes, and that if the game were real, a future 18+ version would eventually release, which would allow the Pals to strip down and most likely do other 18+ things.
April Fools Joke Number 2: Dead by Daylight
This announcement is something that players have been requesting for many years, and that is a limited-timed mode in Dead by Daylight that allows players to be “stepped on” by the enemy, The Oni.
We've heard your feedback and are happy to announce that for a limited time only, you can get stepped on in Dead by Daylight. You're welcome 🙂 pic.twitter.com/ib22Ld82g6
— Dead by Daylight (@DeadbyDaylight) April 1, 2024
This is a running joke within the community, as a lot of people enjoy being stepped on by daunting and dominating characters within different universes, and The Oni is one of these characters that players would love to be stepped on by.
Players finally have their wish granted as a limited-timed mode is active, which shrinks the player’s characters by a small margin and massively increases the height of The Oni, allowing them to be stepped on a lot easier by the giant enemy.
April Fools Joke Number 1: Duckside
This is a rather random announcement for Duckside from developer TinyBuild, a brand-new game that plays exactly like Rust and DayZ, but this time you are a duck.
In 2021-2022 almost 10 million ducks got killed in the US alone.
— tinyBuild (@tinyBuild) April 1, 2024
It's time for the flock to rise. Announcing DUCKSIDE. https://t.co/TU1od3VTug
From the short trailer that was released on IGN’s Twitter/X, we can see players dive-bombing as ducks, creating bases, fighting in wars, and using guns!? So far, we do not know what to expect from this game, but from the trailer, it looks like chaotic fun.
What do you think of these April Fools jokes from the gaming industry? Let us know which one you found the funniest in the comments!
