The coronavirus may still be making short work of societal structures around the world, but developers are still finding ways to have a little laugh on April Fools' Day. Some have said they won't be joining in this year because of COVID-19, but that hasn't stopped various others. Here's our roundup of what's going on in the world of gaming on this most ridiculous of days.
PlatinumGames announces Sol Cresta for great April Fools' Day joke
Nope, us either. After announcing The Wonderful 101 Remastered, Project G.G, and a new studio, Platinum's fourth announcement turned out to be this obscure April Fools' joke. Moon Cresta was an old-school arcade shooter released back in the '80s, so Platinum decided to have a giggle at its expense.
Flipnote Studio on Switch
Apparently, this one was a joke too. Flipnote Player designer @rakujira faked the leak "to goof on a couple of small Discord guilds". Looks like you're out of luck if you were hoping to see Flipnote Studio on the Switch.
Fantasy Battle Royale in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
Fantasy Battle Royale is "an optional event mode" in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds that allows you to take on the Battlegrounds using one of four fantasy classes. This one is actually happening, but it won't be sticking around as a full game mode for long.
For April Fools' Day, r/games sells out...to both sides
If you visit gaming subreddit r/games today, you're sure of a big surprise. According to a post on the subreddit, r/games has a "new partnership". If you visit with the old Reddit layout, you'll see an Epic Games Store banner. The new Reddit layout displays a Steam banner instead. Well played, r/games.
Capcom's Street Fighter-themed cat puzzle game Neco Drop
Capcom's new browser game Neco Drop turns Street Fighter V characters into cats and "drops" them into an adorable puzzle game. Street Fighter V music plays while you play, and you can befriend cats and unlock encyclopedia entries for them. It's fun.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare gets "new playlists"
For April Fools' Day this year, Infinity Ward has introduced some new playlists to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. These include "I Have Trust Issues" and "COD Players Only Want One Thing.
War for the Overworld gets wordy
There's a 2D fighting game on the way from War for the Overworld devs Brightrock Games, and it's got an impressive name. Brace yourself. Brightrock has announced ULTRA Street Fight for the Overworld Hyper XX Accent Plus Double Overload Turbo.
Darkest Dungeon adds arena fights
What's the one thing that would make a Lovecraftian horror RPG even more disturbing? That's right - hero vs. hero arena fights, apparently. That's what you're getting for this year's April Fools' Day in Darkest Dungeon.
Drive with your eyes in Asphalt 9
Despite TouchDrive being a pretty satisfying control method, Asphalt 9's devs aren't content to stop there. For April Fools' Day 2020, they've introduced SightDrive, a method of controlling the game entirely with your eyes.
Dying Light teams up with Unturned
Blocky zombie survival sim Unturned has teamed up with non-blocky zombie parkour sim Dying Light. The crossover event introduces new weapons, new enemies, and extra weapon dockets.
Tales of the Rays 2
If you're a Tales fan, you might find this one unforgivably cruel. Bandai Namco announced a fully-fledged Tales fighting game featuring characters from the series' past from the team behind mobile RPG Tales of the Rays. Of course, it's not real. Figures.
Black Desert Online foretells the future
A host of fun events await you if you log into Black Desert Online for the next week. Several April Fools-themed events are happening in the game. There's also this fun fortune teller site that will give you the answers to some burning questions.
Cornfox & Bros announces Oceanhorn VR
Oceanhorn developer Cornfox & Bros announced an adorably quaint Virtual Boy-style VR version of Oceanhorn. The trailer comes complete with eye-destroying red-and-black Virtual Boy-esque VR. Enjoy.
Medabots and Digimon "pay tribute" to one another
Natsume and Bandai Namco had some fun swapping designs with each other this April Fools' Day. Omedamon is a Digimon based on data from "that one game" that became popular at the end of the 20th century. Meanwhile, Medabots fired back with "OmegaKnight", a Medabot clearly based on Omegamon.
Monster Rancher's Holly stars in a new Atelier game
Not really, of course, but fans of both Monster Rancher and Atelier can dream. Koei Tecmo announced that Atelier Holly, a new game in the Atelier series, was in development and that it would feature Monster Rancher's Holly.
Starbae brings dating to Frozenbyte's Starbase
It can be hard for robots to find love. Luckily, for this purpose, there's Frozenbyte's new April Fools' Day project Starbae. Browse through a list of potential robot partners and pick the one that makes your servos flutter.
Steins;Gate announces new comedy film
Otaku wa Tsuraiyo (which, according to Google Translate, roughly translates to "nerd") is a new comedy film in the Steins;Gate universe. The movie sees Rintaro Okabe making a return to Akihabara. Sadly, it isn't real, but it looks pretty fun nonetheless.
Dragalia Lost's Wagabond Pupper
Awww. A puppy has wandered into the Halldom and now you can play with it. Each time you clear a campaign or event quest, you will get a Pup Grub to feed your adorable little doggo. Bless.
Space Thunder brings space combat to War Thunder
Realism has always been one of War Thunder's biggest focal points, which is why the team is now bringing space combat to the game. Check out the April Fools' Day gag for War Thunder right here. It's all in the name of good space-themed fun.
My Time In Duvos brings darkness to Portia
My Time At Portia is already set post-apocalypse, but My Time In Duvos will hammer that darkness home and then some. You'll play as a new recruit in the Duvos war machine, making friends with "emotionless characters" and generally having a miserable bureaucratic time.
Grim Dawn's Scorv Mode
Do you love Grim Dawn's Scorv? How would you like to see him all the time? Like, on every NPC model? Well, the new Scorv Mode will take care of that for you. Check it out on the official Crate Entertainment forums.
BoxBoy! beat-'em-up announced by HAL Laboratory
Ever wanted to see BoxBoy!'s characters beefed up and beating up some bad guys? That's exactly what HAL Laboratory's Final Box is promising, or would be if it was a real project in development. A man can dream...
Bubble Bobble's Bubblun has been arrested
It was only a matter of time. Bubble Bobble's protagonist Bubblun (or Bub to his friends) has been arrested. Monsta is citing psychological damage caused by Bubble Bobble 4 Friends. Send him down for life, we say.
Game with your cat thanks to Hori's NYAN-CON controller
Hori's NYAN-CON controller finally allows your feline pal to join in with your gaming shenanigans. It's purr-gonomically designed (sorry) for some paw-sitively (sorry again) thrilling multiplayer action.
Origin PC's Big O RetrO gaming PC has every game ever made ever
Origin PC's newest PC, the Big O RetrO Edition, has every single game ever made ever. If you manage to buy this thing, let us know, because we haven't managed to work out how to add it to our cart without our browsers crashing.
World of Tanks' Turret Town mode
Time for the turrets to go mobile. World of Tanks' Turret Town multiplayer mode lets players drive mobile turrets around the Turret Town map. It's running until April 7th, so you've got until then to check it out.
Football Manager revisits an old classic
Back in April 2013, Football Manager's April Fools gag - a sim set in the Victorian era called Football Manager 1888 - was a doozy. The team has tweeted some info from that gag again so you can relive it in all its glory. It's not a new joke, but it's funny nonetheless.
Giant cats in Guild Wars 2
It's exactly as it sounds - giant cats have begun appearing in the world of Guild Wars 2. This is a simple gag, but it made us chuckle nonetheless. Be sure to keep an eye out if you're playing GW2 today.
Everyone is small in For Honor
You can't beat the classics. For April Fools' Day, Ubisoft has decided to shrink everyone in chunky "historical" battle sim For Honor. Amusingly, the weapons are normal-sized.
Bendy Royale
Bendy and the Ink Machine creator Joey Drew Studios is bringing the unique world of the game to the battle royale space. Obviously, that's not really happening, but this trailer shows how much fun it might be if it was.
Raft Royale
Yup, it's another battle royale gag. Open-world survival and crafting game Raft is finally getting a mode to separate the wheat from the chaff. Raft Royale will let you show off your survival skills to your opponents. It's coming, uh, never. Probably.
Empires in Ruins dev bought by EA
This one even comes with a tongue-in-cheek GIF for good measure. Folk metal tower defense game Empires in Ruins' developer tweeted that EA Games has bought it and that this will come with a "glorious increase in quality". Tee hee hee.
Star Citizen goes Flat Earth
Roberts Space Industries is updating its planets to reflect an undeniable galactic truth: all planets and moons are flat. As such, expect to see major geographical changes to Star Citizen's planets.
GRIP: Combat Racing brings the vom factor
A VR edition of the twisty-turny GRIP: Combat Racing is obviously an amazing idea, especially for those of us with weak stomachs. Luckily, the devs have realized all of our wildest dreams this April Fools' Day.
DuckTales: Quackshot...isn't really an April Fools gag
Monster Boy developer FDG Entertainment pitched a DuckTales game to Disney called DuckTales: Quackshot. The pitch didn't go through, so FDG decided to rebrand it as an April Fools' joke. Rather against the spirit of things, if you ask us.
Stonemaier Games creates fun products for real change
Tabletop game publisher Stonemaier Games is creating a raft of fun products that will see proceeds going towards those in need. Keep your eye on the Stonemaier website in the coming weeks for more info.
What's your favorite April Fools' Day joke in gaming this year? What else would you like to have seen? Let us know in the comments below!
