April Fools' Day 2018 Video Game Joke Roundup: Fortnite, Pokemon Go, And More
April Fools' Day has come and gone. This year's event happened to fall on the same day as Easter, which made for an unusually early rollout of jokes from various video game and entertainment companies seeking to avoid having their efforts missed on a proper holiday. As a result, it was easy to miss some of what was out there.
Below, we've rounded up many of the jokes that were shared this year, including those centered around battle royale (all the craze, thanks to Fortnite and PUBG), nostalgia, and dating games, among other things. We also had a gag of our own with Hyrule's Funniest Home Videos. Be sure to let us know your favorite gags of 2018 and any we missed in the comments. You can see 2017's pranks here.
Hyrule's Funniest Home Videos
Rather than do something like trick people into thinking they can pilot a Guardian in Zelda: Breath of the Wild again, we here at GameSpot went a different route this year. Behold Hyrule's Funniest Home Videos, a BotW-inspired take on America's Funniest Home videos. You can watch it at the top of this post.
Hyrule's Funniest Home Videos - The Best Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Pokemon Go 8-Bit Graphics
In a move that some people would likely have been excited to hear on any day of the year, Niantic announced that Pokemon Go would introduce new, 8-bit graphics. Rather than keep this to just a few images online, it did actually release an update adding these to the game.
Pokemon Go Gets Spritey With 8-Bit April Fools
Fortnite Powers Up Two Items
Epic Games is constantly rolling out new content Fortnite: Battle Royale. Its April Fools' joke involved increasing the effects of two items: The Boogie Bomb (which forces players to dance) allowed dancers to jump much higher than normal, while the Impulse Grenade (which knocks players back without doing damage) pushed people much further than usual.
Sanic Collection
In another uncommon instance of an April Fools' joke manifesting in some real way, Sega announced the Sanic Collection, a selection of four items featuring the Sanic meme. You can buy a t-shirt, mug, or phone case featuring Sanic himself for a limited time.
Official announcement / Sega Shop tore listing
Civilization VI For Smart Watch
Build an empire to stand the test of time, on a watch that tells time. @CivGame coming soon to Smart Watches. https://t.co/Qcf3EpuE8O #OneMoreTurn #RaiseYourFinger pic.twitter.com/TN4W98rXUW
— Aspyr Media (@AspyrMedia) April 1, 2018
Aspyr Media, the company responsible for bringing Civilization games to mobile, announced it was bringing the latest game, Civilization VI, to a much different platform: smart watches. "Civilization VI on smart watches features Revolutionary Index Finger Control (RIFC)," a press release touts. "Simply swipe up to declare war, scroll down to build a library, double tap to initiate a religious inquisition, swipe right to fire catapults, or tap and hold to research pottery."
New World of Warcraft Micro Holidays
Blizzard teased that it would expand World of Warcraft's calendar of micro holiday to offer something every day. Highlights include Looking for Queue, a day where you can only join a dungeon queue by having your character physically wait in line outside of the dungeon, and The Yes-Fly Zone, when ground-based transport will be disallowed.
Final Fantasy XIV Go
Following in the footsteps of Pokemon Go, Square Enix announced an expansion for MMO Final Fantasy XIV. This would take the form of FFXIV Online Go, a mobile app that lets you gather resources while exploring the real world, Pokemon Go style.
Mega Man: Date My Robot Master
With dating games like Hatoful Boyfriend proving to be quite successful, Capcom announced its own spin on the genre starring Mega Man. Mega Man: Date My Robot Master sends you to school and allows you to forge relationships with a variety of classmates.
Street Fighter Card Game
Eons ago, the power of the Hado was sealed inside of a demonic stone. Join Ed as he goes deeper into the world of HADO STONE!
🃏 Play HADO STONE: https://t.co/Ijne12d1q0 pic.twitter.com/1mlnc2WiAj
— Street Fighter (@StreetFighter) April 1, 2018
Card games are another genre that's proven popular, and Capcom offered a take on it as well. The company revealed a Street Fighter card game called Hado Stone.
Let It Date
Wanna learn a little more about me, senpai? #LETITDATE #LETITDIE pic.twitter.com/Xol3Pa7Uzj
— LET IT DIE The Game (@LETITDIETheGame) March 31, 2018
Capcom wasn't the only one with dating games on the brain, as Grasshopper and GungHo announced Let It Date, which is described as a "full-fledged dating simulator spin-off" of free-to-play action game Let It Die. "Let It Date players can enjoy the underworld of Let It Die in a new sensual and casual way where they get to know their favorite characters on a deeper, romantic level--like Uncle Death. Let It Date invites a new audience to experience the witty and charming dialogue in the Tower of Barbs, who may not be a fan of the hardcore action genre."
Ascenders, Follow-Up To Descenders
Downhill freeriding game Descenders went in the opposite direction for April Fools'. The developer released a special mode that allows you to tackle the game in a much different way.
Path Of Exile Goes Battle Royale
Battle royale is enjoying a massive wave of popularity, and Path of Exile got in on the fun with a special mode called Path of Exile: Royale. The announcement reveals that the developers have "abandoned" the action RPG genre it's known for in favor of something that was created with "one day of development."
