April Fools’ Day 2018 compilation

Another year, another April 1, and another April Fools’ Day compilation, where we find and compile all of the games industry jokes.

April Fools’ Day starts early in Japan, so if you read or watch something today or tomorrow that sounds too to be true, it probably is.

Find our annual roundup of games-related jokes below. The list will be updated as new jokes arrive, so be sure to check back every so often.

April Fools’ Day 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011

Added on April 1 at 8:30 p.m.

• Bricks to Life – LEGO The Watchmen announced for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.
• The Elder Scrolls Online – Coming soon to The Elder Scrolls Online: all combat abilities will be replaced with The Elder Scrolls: Legends cards and deck that you build and customize.”
• Idea Factory International – The hunt begins this spring with Beast Chaser Neptunia. “A mysterious virus has supersized the monsters of Gamindustri. Use massive weapons to hunt them down solo or in a group, joined by your faithful Dogoolico companion! Can you tame these new wilds…?”
• Ruiner – A new expansion pack is coming…
• Team Meat – “Ouya.”
• tinyBuild – Announcing Hello Neighbor Battlegrounds.

Added on April 1 at 1:00 p.m.

• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night – Players will have the option to mine cryptocurrency while playing Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. At launch, supported currencies will include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Zcash, with additional currencies possibly being added at a later date.

  

• CD Projekt RED – CD Projekt RED is seeking a “Designer of Game Environments” (Doge) to shake paws with. “You will be responsible for digging up bugs, fetching missing code and sniffing up plot holes. We are seeking for a gifted canine with a positive attitude, able to balance tasks on their nose. You will be working closely with a small team on a quest to finally catch your own tail.”
• DSOGaming – Sony Interactive Entertainment titles are coming to PC, starting with Killzone: Shadow Fall, The Order 1886, and Horizon Zero Dawn in 2018, and God of War in 2019.
• Dungeon Defenders – Announcing Dungeon Defenders II: Tower Royale. “This expansion takes everything you know and love about Dungeon Defenders II and combines it with a never-before-seen battle royale game mode that’s sure to blow your freakin’ mind!”

  

• Eurogamer – Eurogamer is now Spyrogamer, Europe’s number one resource for Spyro the Dragon content.

  

• Minecraft – Textures for the Java Edition of Minecraft have finally been perfected.

  

• OVERKILL Software – 10-episode Payday: The Animated Series announced.

• Play-Asia – Leaked roster of some of the new characters for Super Smash Bros. for Switch.

  

• r/Games – Cyberpunk 2077 review thread, complete with quotes from parodied versions of game publications.
• RPGFan – Square Enix and Electronic Arts are teaming up on the development of FFIFA 18: Vox Nihili, a Final Fantasy and FIFA crossover.

  

• Stoic Studio – Newly-discovered early archival Banner Saga footage found!

• Ubisoft North America – Far Cry 5 Boomer dog toy announced.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvV05IHi-jA

• Video Game Art & Tidbits – Blurb from Electronic Gaming Monthly about Dragon Ball Z: Battle for Earth, which was supposed to be released in the United States in 1993, but never was.

  

• WiiU.pro – Hello Neighbor Amiibo figure announced.

  

Added April 1 at 11:00 a.m.

• Alfa System – Announcing shoot ’em up The Walking Shikigami for Switch and PC.

  

• Arc System Works America – Announcing BlazBlue: TAG, where the colorful cast of BlazBlue takes part in a global game of tag with deadly consequences.

  

• Capcom Unity – Announcing Mega Man: Date My Robot Master, a dating simulator take on the classic Mega Man franchise.

  

• Firefly Studios – The Stronghold series is coming to console for the first time since the release of the first title in 2001. Stronghold 2 will be released for Sega Dreamcast.

• Good Smile Company – Good Smile Company is now Good Smile Park, and all of its products are animal-themed.

  

• Nintendo Life – Eight Nintendo Labo Toy-Con concepts leaked.

• Project Eevee (2) – Eevee will be added to Tekken 7 as its 21st downloadable content character on November 21, 2100 for 1,121 yen.

  

• r/GlobalOffensive – Teaser website for PlayStation 4 version of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

  

• Remedy Entertainment – Remedy Entertainment is changing its company focus from making games to making coffee.

Sukeban Games – Announcing VA-11 Hall-A Kids, a child-oriented version of VA-11 Hall-A sans the “dirty jokes, references to intercourse or alcohol, foul language, violence implied or otherwise, religious references, or comments pertaining to any body part.”

Added on April 1 at 3:30 a.m.

• Aspyr Media – Announcing Civilization VI for smart watches.

  

• Merkava Avalanche – Announcing Merkava Avalanche 8-bit Version.

  

• Musync – “Musync close all service today. Thank you for your playing. See you at next game~.”
• PlayStation Asia – Announcing PlayStation: The Board Game, featuring a non-4K resolution game board, pens and paper to draw yoru own trophies, six rule books, intense local multiplayer action for up to four players, and large and small dice.

  

• Team17 – Team17 is bringing its 1993-released Amiga fighting game Body Blows to EVO 2017 in celebration of its 25th anniversary.
• War for the Overlord – Announcing Dungeon Hearts, a “visual anime waifu dating dungeon management simulation novel role-playing game” set in the War for the Overlord universe. (This is real and playable now.)

Added on April 1 at 12:20 a.m.

• Aspyr Media – Introducing the InnerSpace The Movie Mission Pack, exclusively for InnerSpace The Game.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnS_TskxY5Y

• Capcom Fighters Network – Announcing Hado Stone, a fully playable digital trading card game. ((This is real and playable now.)

  

• Cytus II – Introducing Graff J. “The producer who has an absurd obsession with giraffes has ignored all opposition from the team. He is determined to launch ‘That project’!”

• Fighting EX Layer – SNK producer Yasuyuki Oda will be joining Arika‘s Fighting EX Layer as a downloadable content character.

  

• Final Fantasy XIV – Announcing Final Fantasy XIV Online GO, which combines Square Enix’s cutting-edge software and your smartphone’s geolocation capabilities to enable harvesting of in-game resources outdoors, in the real world.

• Illusion – From the studio behind the Summer Lesson-esque VR Kanojo comes Sanma Lesson (Saury Lesson).

  

• Kirby – Nintendo is no longer celebrating Kirby‘s 25th anniversary. It is now Waddle Dee’s 25th anniversary.

  

• Path of Exile – Path of Exile is being replaced by Path of Exile: Royale, a 100-person free-for-all battle royale game. (This is real and live now.)

• Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night – Koromaru will appear as a member of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad in the original animation of a downloadable content song for Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night. (This is possibly real.)

  

  

• PlatinumGames – “Have you ever dreamed of having PG President & CEO Kenichi Sato around to keep you company at home, at school or in the workplace? Of course you have! Today your dream comes true – With new, collectible Pocket President Sato figurines! Collect all eight!”

  

• PlayStation Japan – “The PlayStation fish season has opened. We’ll report on the haul by Sony Interactive Entertainment employees.”

  

• Shikas Clouds – Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm V announced for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

• Vive China – Introducing Vive Pro Pet Edition. Walking your dog will never be the same again.

  

• Voez – The April 1 song update for the smartphone version of Voez adds “Guluful Voice” by Night Keepers.

Added at Press Time

• Arc System Works – Introducing Arc: Global Operation, Arc System Works‘ very own Fate/Grand Order rip-off.

  

• Capcom Japan – This is how sound effects are produced by the Capcom sound effects team.

• Corsair – Stop GPU abuse.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGOUuXFucEg

• Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation – If this tweet gets 10,000 retweets, Misaki will make her debut as a virtual YouTuber, and all owners in Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation will receive an SSR gacha ticket as a present.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laz6mnNG-pw

• Digimon Adventure tri. – Here is the main visual for Sukamon Adventure tri.

  

• Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle – Introducing Dragon Ball Z: Dokkyun Battle, the long-awaited love simulation mode for Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle. Romance heroines like Bulma and Android 18.

  

• Dynasty Warriors – Guan Yinping has won the open-weight division of the World Arm Wrestling Tournament in both the left and right hand categories.

  

• Earth Defense Force 5 – A large number of unknown “light brown-type” alien invaders have appeared. Its ecology includes slimy skin, a stinky odor, reluctance to eat curry, and mixing in with corn. Players will be able to battle them with the Earth Defense Force members introduced in large-scale DLC no. 931, which is due out soon.

  

• Enlisted – Gaijin Entertainment has announced Enlisted: Cuisine Royale, a new MMO shooter from the developers of Enlisted.

  

• Fate/Grand Order Gutentag Omen Adios – Type-Moon has released the smartphone RPG Fate/Grand Order Gutentag Omen Adios for iOS via the App Store and Android via Google Play. (This is real and live now.)

  

• Final Fantasy XIV – Square Enix has announced Magnai Fantasy, a Final Fantasy XIV parody of various games.

• Final Fantasy XV – Fifteen. (A parody of Pop Team Epic.)

  

• Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius – A new Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius is born from fantasy today.

• Google Japan – Introducing the Gboard Physical Handwriting Version. Now, instead of typing Japanese characters, you can write them out.

• Granblue Fantasy – Cygames has released the new app Oira for iOS via the App Store and Android via Google Play. (This is real and live now, but only playable until midnight JST on April 1.)

  

• Granzella – Granzella will not have an April Fool’s Day joke this year. (We are including this for those that may be looking for a Granzella joke.)
• Guerrilla Games – The official Horizon: Zero Dawn ‘Nil’ body pillow will go on sale on April 1. Stock is limited to only 1,000 body pillows.

  

• Guild Wars 2 – The “Seats of Power” update, which adds the ability to sit on chairs, is coming to Guild Wars 2 on April 1. (This is real and live now.)

• How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord – Video game announced for the TV anime How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqIci67vVaE

• Jubeat Staff – Konami has announced Jubeat Pocket.

  

• Kin’iro no Corda 3 – Koei Tecmo has announced Kin’iro no Corda 3: Another Sky feat. Kan Geidai Fuzoku and Kin’iro no Corda 3: Another Sky feat. San Cecil, which are in the same vein as the actually real Kin’iro no Corda 3: Another Sky feat. Jinnan / Shiseikan / Amane Gakuen. The newly announced titles allow players to view the narrative from the Kantou University of Arts High School and St. Cecil High School.

  

• League of Legends – “It’s April Foods Day. Who’s hungry? Birdio (975 RP) and Pizza Delivery Sivir (1350 RP) are now serving up delicious attack combos, and there’s more on the menu: event-only missions, Birdie Capsules and Birdie Bags, new emotes, and more.” Watch a trailer here. (This is real and live now.)

  

• Let It Die – GungHo Online Entertainment America and Grasshopper Manufacture have announced Let It Date, a dating simulator spin-off of Let It Die. Get to know your favorite characters, like Uncle Death, on a deeper, more romantic level.

  

• M2 – M2 has announced Ninja Soldier, an original shoot ’em up.

• Marvelous – Senran Kagura series producer Kenichiro Takaki left Marvelous at the end of March and has gotten a new shop as an employee at Japanese game shop Trader in Akihabara.

  

• Mega Man – Meet the boss characters of Mega Man 11, including Whip Man, Necro Man, Reel Man, Bit Man, Shogi Man, Career Woman, Dark Roll, Wolf Man, Faucet Man, Shower Man, Transparent Man, and Man.

  

• Monster Hunter Frontier Z – Introducing Monster Hunter Frontier DIVE, a first-person hunting game being added to Monster Hunter Frontier Z in its April 1 update.

  

• New Japan Pro Wrestling – New Japan Pro Wrestling signs Eevee.

  

• Nvidia GeForce – Introducing the GeForce Academy of Gaming, where students are prepared to make meaningful contributions to the gaming world as engaged players, personalities, and leaders.
• Persona Twitter Account – Koromaru is now in charge of the Persona series Twitter account. All of the account’s tweets since him taking over so far are, “Woof!”

  

• Pokemon GO – Experience the world of Pokemon GO like never before with cutting-edge 8-bit graphics, registered at approximately twice the definition of 4K resolution.

  

• Razer – Become the extension of the world’s deadliest gaming hardware with Project Venom V2. Formulated with Nano-mechanical bot technologies, achieve peak gaming performance and beyond. Be the machine.

• Schoolgirl Strikers – Schoolgirl Strikers 2 announced, coming in 2018. (This is possibly real.)

  

• Seiko Watch – Introducing the world’s first “ninja-only” wristwatch, designed by Yoji Shinkawa, known for his work on the Metal Gear series and more.

  

• Super Robot Wars X – Japanese sumo wrestler Takamisakari Seiken joins Super Robot Wars X as a playable character.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUiV1_Ca2CQ

• Tales of the Rays – Bandai Namco has announced Tales of WHIStiria, a Tales of-themed digital card game. It will launch on November 30, 2000.

• Type-Moon – Type-Moon’s official website has become that of the Tokyo Kinoko (Mushroom) Museum of Art. View the gallery contents here.

  

• UPlay – A Watch Dogs-esque admin console now appears in the UPlay application.

  

• Uta no Prince-sama – Uta no Prince-sama-themed RPG Shining Quest is now playable on the game’s official website.

  

• Valkyria Anatomia: The Origin – The character illustrations in Valkyria Anatomia: The Origin have become those of a crappy manga.

  

• Vooks – MiiVerse is returning for Switch as SwitchVerse.

  

• Warriors Orochi – Koei Tecmo has announced Warriors Mizuchi 4 (we are localizing the title as if it were a Warriors Orochi game—it is really Musou Mizuchi 3), a spin-off of Warriors Orochi 4.

  

• War Thunder – Gaijin Entertainment has announced Silent Thunder, a submarine warfare game.

• WayForward – WayForward has announced The Mummy Demastered Remastered, a remastered version of the demastered The Mummy game. Experience the 2017 classic in high-definition exclusively for the TurboGrafx-16, Sears Tele-Games System, and Atari Jaguar when it launches on April 1.

  

• Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links – Tristan Taylors are appearing all over the Duel World. (This is real and live now.)