In videogames, April Fool’s Day pranks come in two main flavours: there are the gag announcements, in which a developer says it’s going to do something silly; and then there are the joke games – where a developer actually does something extremely silly. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has opted for the latter this year, adding a whole new arcade game to its battle royale’s menu screen. But you’ll have to hurry, because this new mode is only around for a little while.
PlayerOmnom’s Battlegrounds is an arcade cabinet you’ll find in the PUBG menu between now and April 12. It’s a top-down 2D arcade shooter done in delightful pixel art, inspired by pixel artist Alexey Garkushin. In it, you’ll have to travel across PUBG’s familiar locales, fighting chickens that have become absolutely jacked with pure rage over their use as a reward for winning squads.
As if adding an entirely new game to PUBG wasn’t enough, the developer has gone so far as to invent both an in-universe story for POBG as well as a fictional real-world origin for the game itself.
You can check it out in this fun little mockumentary:
A few PUBG Twitch streamers have given the mode a try, and it’s no joke – this game is pretty demanding.
🐔⁉️https://t.co/7Gp3JxcEOq @iamCDome pic.twitter.com/2VYOkJHBkh
— Hawkinz (@Hawkinz) April 1, 2021
April 1 is a ridiculous day in the games industry, and we’ve been rounding up the best April Fool’s gaming gags we’ve seen around the horn. We’ve even gotten in on the jokes ourselves, heaven (and Miyazaki-san) forgive us.