CD Projekt Red April Fools Joke Goes Viral Online

Every year, we have to survive the treacherous waters of April Fool's Day. After all, who hasn't fallen for a prank from a friend, a company, or a website? We have all been there! However, I have found the perfect way to face this day without being made a fool: embracing the jokes, laughing along, and hunting down the absolute best one.

And this year, the search was quite short, since CD Projekt Red just dropped a fake trailer for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that manages to mock some of the strongest rumors surrounding the franchise lately in a brilliant way, while making every fan laugh out loud!

Introducing Project R.O.A.C.H.

Without any prior warning, the Polish studio published an announcement trailer on YouTube this Wednesday titled Project R.O.A.C.H., complete with the full The Witcher 3 visual identity. At first glance, it looks like a brand-new DLC announcement for the legendary RPG. However, as soon as you hit play, you quickly realize something is very wrong!

The video features Sebastian Kalemba – the Game Director at CD Projekt, who is currently leading the development of The Witcher 4 – revealing a revolutionary new accessory. And the gadget in question is a controller shaped like a horse, in honor of our beloved Roach, Geralt of Rivia’s trusty companion.

"Nothing beats the feeling of roaming the fields of Velen on horseback," Kalemba says in the trailer. "Now, you get to experience the game both as Geralt and his trusty companion, Roach." Then, there are some images of Kalemba himself using the innovative “controller”, which is probably one of the best sights you’ll see today.

The pitch is also followed by some behind-the-scenes footage supposedly from the game's original motion capture sessions back in 2015. But it’s all fake, and you can notice that right on the spot, since it features hilarious scenes of actors wearing those infamous rubber horse masks and performing completely nonsensical movements.

To top it off, the video description even points to a website where you can buy your horse controller today – I’ll let you click the link yourself to experience the final surprise. You can check out CD Projekt Red's full April Fool’s Day masterpiece right below:

The most brilliant part of this prank is how the studio plays with recent community buzz, because many rumors of a surprise DLC for The Witcher 3 have intensified over the past few weeks. So, did this prank serve to debunk the speculations, or was it a clever distraction to keep us away from the truth? We’ll have to wait and see!