April Fools Day 2015 Video Games and Pranks Compilation

With April Fools’ Day 2015 upon us, many developers and publishers have unleashed their pranks on the world (some good, some not good). To help you see the fake announcements offered up today, we’ve compiled them into the gallery above.

For serious “joke” posts today, find out about Techland’s plans for Dying Light and the free DriveClub MotorStorm Buggy DLC.

We’ll keep looking for more pranks and will update the slideshow with any more we find. Don’t forget to share any you see out there in the comments below.

What was your favorite prank today? Are you a fan of April Fools pranks or should the gaming industry not partake in it as to not confuse the gaming public?

Essential Reading:

April Fools' Day 2015

PlayStation Flow

With some people believing this was real (prompting Sony to issue a message that "it’s not actually in development"), PlayStation Europe unveiled the new PlayStation Flow today.

The latest breakthrough in fully-immersive gaming, here's the description for this crazy device:
PlayStation Flow combines PS4 gaming with real-life swimming. When you get to an underwater section of a game like The Last of Us Remastered you can hit pause, head to your nearest pool, dive in and resume playing through PlayStation Flow. With underwater environments in games becoming more and more realistic, we think that PlayStation Flow provides a natural enhancement to player experience.

The system consists of four PlayStation Flow Sensors, constructed using the latest composite fabrics. They attach comfortably to your biceps and thighs and track your swimming, sending real-time updates of body movements back to your PS4 via Remote Play.

The PlayStation Flow Goggles stream game data from your PS4 via Bluetooth and display gameplay once activated poolside. Our PlayStation Waterproof Earphones deliver stunning sound even underwater to complete the immersion.

We know that players want to get back to the action as soon as possible, so we’re also proud to introduce the PlayStation Flow Body Dryer – the perfect accompaniment to PlayStation Flow. It uses ionizing technology to dry you within seconds.

[Source: EU PS Blog]
Nug Elope

Developed by BioWare, Nug Elope sees you embarking "on a bold new adventure in never-before-seen parts of Thedas. As the new nug in Nugtown, it's your time to make friends, find love, and avoid getting eaten."

Exploring vast fields and deep caves, you must stay in the shadows as you "go looking for love in all the nug places."

[Source: BioWare]
EB Games - Relationship Saver Shipping

EB Games Canada is(n't) offering "fresh cut flowers for your special someone" when you purchase something from their website today.

[Source: EB Games]
Thomas Was Alone on the Nokia 3310

Because "you asked for it," Thomas Was Alone is now available on the Nokia 3310.

[Source: Curve Digital]
Mutant Mudds on Virtual Boy

After partnering with Nintendo, Renegade Kid is bringing Mutant Mudds to the Virtual Boy.

[Source: Mutant Mudds]
Romance Central

From Dance Central creators Harmonix, Romance Central offers you a chance to try a unique online dating service scientifically designed to pair you with the dance partner of your dreams.

As they add, "Your days of club hopping and searching boring dating sites for 'The One' are over. Sign up for Romance Central and become one of our dozens of users who have successfully experienced the joys of dating with just a few clicks."

[Source: Harmonix]
The Witcher 3 Beard and Hairstyle DLC

While I wouldn't be surprised if this does become real DLC due to fan demand, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt developers offered up a sneak peek at the Beard and Hairstyle DLC.

[Source: The Witcher]
Vermintide: Hammertime Game Mode

A game mode for Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide, Hammertime is the "rat-infested tribute to American Baseball turned on its head as players go up against hordes of Skaven to perform acts of ultra cheese shredding violence as they bash the skulls of the oncoming onslaught of Skaven. Top performers will be immortalized in the Hammertime Leaderboards!"

[Source: Vermintide]
Zombie Army THRILLogy

The next "EVIL-ution" of dancing games, Zombie Army THRILLogy is the "dance game spin-off of the zombie slaying spin-off, of the sequel, to Sniper Elite.

"Strut your stuff in an epic motion-controlled flurry of funky moves, as the Freaky Followers of zombie Hitler face off against the Allied Army of Awesome!"

[Source: Sniper Elite]
Dark Dreams Don't Die with Deadly Premonition

Using the hashtags #AprilFool and #ThanksObama, SWERY announced "Dark Dreams Don't Die with Deadly Premonition," before adding, "Haha, Just kidding."

[Source: SWERY]
You Are The Winner! Go You!

From WayForward, You Are the Winner! Go You! puts you in the boots of Gunster Megaboom, "a mercenary from the 37th century sent back in time to stop time-travelers from preventing the apocalypse. Gunster is a danger-loving weapons expert, with a soft spot for latte foam art, who plays by NO ONE’S rules!"

In their extensive focus testing with participants ranging from age 2 to 104, they learned one guy hated pressing buttons. That's been solved.

[Source: WayForward]
Disgaea 5: iVengeance

While Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance didn't set the Japanese market on fire, NIS America is hoping Disgaea 5: iVengeance does. Releasing on April 1, 2016 exclusively for the iPhone 5s, iVengeance includes millions of levels.

[Source: NIS America]
Mortal Kombat Subreddit

Because why not, the Mortal Kombat subreddit underwent a change for today, featuring a dancing Ed Boon.

Check it out!
Hyperion Dog Walking Service

So you can continue farming for that legendary, Hyperion is launching a line of WLK9–TP bots to take your best friend for a walk.

[Source: Borderlands]
Redbox Becomes Petbox (1)

Changing its name to Petbox for the day, Redbox offered up some amusing pet-themed titles for movies and video games.

[Source: Redbox]
Redbox Becomes Petbox (2)

Here's another image of funny titles from Petbox.
ZITHER!, the Virtuoso, in Dragon Age Inquisition Multiplayer

Once a household name in Orlais, ZITHER! spent the last two years drinking in a riverside tavern in Cumberland following his templar manager trying to kill him.

Using The Inquisition as his one chance at a comeback tour, ZITHER! has abilities like Mark of the Riff, Can't Stop the Music, a Little Knight Music, and Encore! at his disposal.

BioWare adds:
ZITHER!, the Virtuoso, is the Inquisition’s first musically inspired multiplayer agent. Although a mage by birth, his true strength—like his heart—lies in his music. When he plays, ZITHER! infuses his lute with the elemental powers of rock and roll. These elements provide a cacophony of different effects, either aiding the party with Crowd-Pleasers or wreaking aural havoc on his enemies with Battle Hymns.

The Virtuoso’s gameplay is very different from existing Inquisition classes. ZITHER! always has 4 abilities mapped, 3 “Notes” and 1 “Song”: the notes are Fire, Ice, Lightning, and players unlock Songs in the ability menu. For example, “Can’t Stop the Music” requires Fire, Fire, Ice, while Encore! calls for Fire, Ice, Lightning! The Virtuoso typically plays a strong support role for your party, but he can easily focus entirely on offense or become a hybrid of both styles—just don’t get stage fright and forget how to play your Songs!”

[Source: BioWare]
The Evil Within Gets Animated

Titled The Evil Within: Into the Light, Tango Gameworks knows that relationships in the world of The Evil Within are forged on couches, so they decided to focus on the "life saving (or at least game saving) bond between Juli Kidman and Black Cat from the game’s first DLC."

Lead Concept Artist Ikumi Nakamura said:
We could never have anticipated such a strong reaction to Juli Kidman and the black cat from The Assignment. So much was the outpouring of love that we took the only logical step forward from the world of Survival Horror: creating a whimsical animated feature around these two characters in The Evil Within: Into the Light!

[Source: Bethesda]
Minecraft 1.10: The Love and Hugs Update

After thinking long and hard about it, Mojang has announced they are "changing the general direction of the game Minecraft. Starting from the next update we will be focusing on the things that make life worth living, promoting healthy relationships with the environment and its inhabitants."

Here's a quick look at some of the patch notes:
We have removed the ability to directly harm other creatures. You should be rewarded for helping, not hurting.

Added a new “Love” meter. This fills up the more you help others, and others help you.

“Survival” mode has been renamed to “Existence”.

"Monsters” are no longer named as such. The preferred term is “Inhabitants”, as they live in this world just like you or me.

Removed rain as it upset a lot of players.

Added rain back as it soothed a lot of players.

Not everybody had the same experience playing Minecraft under different configurations, so we decided to remove all the graphical settings.

[Source: Mojang]
Housemarque Goes Virtual Reality

A new piece of VR technology from Housemarque, internally referred to as 'Boxel tech', allows for unprecedented immersion and graphic fidelity.

They add, "After their sessions, previous Boxel testers have reported various degrees of disconnection from the real world and symptoms such as red eyes, palpitations, baldness, and sadly even some loss of life."

Unfortunately, it currently only works on games from the '80s.

[Source: Housemarque]