Pokémon Sleep April Fools’ Day joke is surprisingly funny

By Tomas Franzese April 1, 2024 10:10AM

A guy stands while sleeping in this Pokémon April Fool's Day video. — The Pokémon Company

It’s April Fools’ Day yet again, so social media is rife with fake announcements and gags to celebrate. The video game industry also loves making these jokes, and while not all of them land well, one of the funniest this year comes from The Pokémon Company and Pokémon Sleep.

It’s a video for a Pokémon Sleep World Champions Tournament, where multiple people compete to become a Pokémon Sleep champion by falling asleep as fast as possible and getting a good artistry score for how well they snooze. It’s a hilarious riff on how The Pokémon Company holds Pokémon World Championships for all its games every year and how that wouldn’t quite make sense for Pokémon Sleep.

Pokémon Sleep itself is not an April Fools’ Day joke. It was released for iOS and Android in July 2023 and is a sleep-tracking app themed around the popular RPG franchise. People using the app can fall into different sleep types and accrue a sleep score, which helps determine which Pokémon visit them during their slumber. Pokémon Sleep adds some extra flair to the normal sleep-tracking app formula but obviously isn’t meant to be played competitively like it is in this funny April Fools’ Day joke.

It does make sense that The Pokémon Company did something for April Fools’ Day this year, as the franchise has a long history with this day. Did you know that the idea for Pokémon Go spawned from a Google Maps April Fools’ Day gag? Maybe the Pokémon Sleep World Champions Tournament isn’t too Farfetch’d an idea after all.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Tech News

Gaming Staff Writer

Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Computing

What is packet loss, and how do you fix it?

resetplug wifi router

There are few things more frustrating than trying to work, game, or stream a movie and experiencing stuttering, pausing, and other unstable behavior due to a dodgy internet connection. Even if your Wi-Fi signal is strong or you're using a wired connection, you can still experience hiccups due to the irritating phenomenon of packet loss.

If you're wondering what packet loss is and how to fix it, we're here to help explain the issue and show you how you can mitigate it.
What is a packet?
Think of a single email as a convoy of buses taking the class to Disney World. Each bus carries a portion of the overall student body -- your email -- along with information about where it’s going, where it’s from, and who is riding in the seats.

Gaming

How to download Twitch clips

What streamer hasn't uttered some version of the phrase "clip that!" before? Whether it's nailing a sick headshot, clutching out a save at the last second, or anything in between, Twitch clips are your badges of honor. These small, bite-sized videos can be a perfect highlight reel of awesome, funny, and epic moments that happen during your stream that you want to make sure get preserved, but simply saying, "clip that!" isn't enough. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to download Twitch clips so you never risk losing your best moments.

Gaming

The best asymmetrical multiplayer games

Dead by Daylight player standing in front of a fire.

Asymmetrical multiplayer games have come into their own over the past few years, with titles like Among Us, Dead by Daylight, and Left 4 Dead pulling in legions of players. Instead of giving two teams a similar set of abilities, asymmetrical games are purposefully lopsided -- one team might be larger but have less firepower, while the other team might be comprised of a single, powerful player.

It’s a unique concept that’s seen plenty of variation as new developers make their mark on the genre. There are plenty of titles to choose from nowadays, but not all are winners. If you need help deciding what to install next, here are 10 of the best asymmetrical multiplayer games to play in 2024.