Below, we’ve rounded up the 10 best April Fools jokes from video game developers this 2021.
Nier Replicant: Life Simulator Edition
Do you know how it would feel like to play the upcoming Nier Replicant remake but without all the confusing lore and deep philosophical themes? Well, lucky for us, Square Enix went out of their way to answer this hypothetical question. Instead of an action role-playing game, the latest trailer shows off Nier Replicant as a life simulator, complete with fishing, farming, and gardening. We don’t know about you, but the chill vibes that the trailer gives off would be perfect as a game.
Play as a Deer in Valheim
— Valheim (@Valheimgame) April 1, 2021 We get it. The world just can’t seem to get enough of Valheim and we foresee it becoming an even bigger game in the months to come. This is all thanks to the hard work of the game’s developers. However, as hardworking as they work, they couldn’t help but jump in on all the fun on April Fools Day by doing something that could actually make its way to the game. We all know that you play as a Viking warrior in Valheim, which is why it would make for an interesting time if the game lets you play as something else. Like, you know, a deer, for example.
SMITE GO!
In what has to be Hi-Rez Studio’s best marketing move in years to help make their deity-filled MOBA trend, they jumped in on the entire April Fools Day prank and released a trailer for SMITE GO!, which, as the name suggests, is a play on the popular AR title, Pokémon GO, and will supposedly allow players to play as their favorite Gods on the go.
Deathloops breakfast cereal
— DEATHLOOP (@deathloop) April 1, 2021 Arkane Studios’ newest title, Deathloop, won’t come until a few months from now and it’s already shaping up to becoming one of the year’s most highly anticipated titles. Its combination of a unique premise of living the same day over and over again with tight first-person-shooter gameplay is more than enough to get gamers interested. Just to be safe though, the official Deathloop Twitter account revealed that they were going to be releasing a Deathloop breakfast cereal. This joke of a cereal is basically just Fruit Loops but with a Deathloop twist to it. If we’re being honest, we were secretly hoping this wasn’t a joke. Judging from the looks of it, the cereal looks pretty tasty.
Epic Adds Stonks Skin to Fortnite
Grab him before he rotates out of the Shop! pic.twitter.com/1hIsgelLR2 — Fortnite (@FortniteGame) April 3, 2021 The Stonks meme has been around for a while, but it only really took off in the past few months as the entire world found itself entertained by the entire GameStop stock fiasco. This very real thing led to a handful of people who aren’t normally into stocks making money out of it. Because of that, Epic Games saw it fit to release the Stonks guy as a skin on Fortnite. Unlike the other April Fools Day jokes on our list, the skin is real. Players can buy it off of the in-game store for 1,200 V-Bucks where it’s known as Diamond Hanz.
The All-New Razer RGB Hair Dye
Gaming company Razer is not one to shy away from releasing a totally radical product. After all, they’ve reportedly been working on entering the appliance market for years. But, in their CEO’s attempt to take over the world, it seems like their next step is to enter the haircare realm and take full advantage of their in-house RGB technology. — R Λ Z Ξ R (@Razer) March 31, 2021 Their newest and latest is named Rapunzel, an RGB hair dye that infuses your hair with nanotechnology that you can control via an app that lets you change your hair’s color in a snap of a finger. We all know that it’s not real but Razer did partner with Instagram via an AR filter for you to check what your hair would look like if they did indeed put the Rapunzel out to market.
Darksiders Dark Ciders
Don’t crack open the Seventh Seal, crack open a cold one with your friends! Enjoy the taste of the Apocalypse responsibly and without alcohol*. *except for Strife, he doesn’t give a shit pic.twitter.com/fAI6VFDjhW — Darksiders (@darksiders) April 1, 2021 If you’ve ever wondered what the apocalypse tastes like, then look no further than taking a sip of Darkisders’ Dark Ciders. These fictional artisanal beverages come in four different flavors, one for each of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Control PlayStation 1 Demake
We’ve all heard about developers and publishers porting older games to newer consoles, but what we haven’t seen in an official capacity is porting a newer game to an older console. The “demake” makes no sense so that probably explains why we haven’t seen it yet. But, that hasn’t stopped fans from reimagining titles like Bloodborne and Death Stranding in older consoles like the original PlayStation. However, whereas most of these demakes are fan-made, Remedy Entertainment decided to jump in on the trend with perhaps the best April Fools Day joke from video game developers in 2021. Remedy decided to mess around and announced a PlayStation 1 version of their 2019 action-adventure title, Control. The prank wasn’t just all news though. The developers went up ahead and released an actual mock-up. This includes nearly an entire minute of gameplay that showcases what the 2019 title would look like if it was released in 1999 if not earlier.
