If It’s Not a Prank, Marvel Rivals Plans to Showcase Venom’s Dance Moves Next Week for April Fools’ Day Celebration

As I sit down to pen this on March 28, there’s this lingering anxiety that every game news writer knows all too well—the fear of a surprise bombshell announcement. You just never know when Geoff Keighley might decide to drop a midnight showcase alongside a Nintendo Direct. But lately, it’s NetEase that’s got me on edge.

They’ve announced—or are they pulling a fast one on us?—an April Fool’s stunt for Marvel Rivals. The idea of a Venom twerk emote is set to debut in the game next week. Trust me, I’m typing this with fingers crossed, hoping it’s not all a big prank.

NetEase claims this quirky “Symbiote Boogie” emote can be unlocked—assuming it’s not just an elaborate joke—as an in-game reward from the night of March 31st or the wee hours of April 1st, depending on your time zone, until April 4th. The announcement came via a tweet and a Discord post from the official Marvel Rivals channels.

NetEase enthusiastically posted, “April Fools is just around the corner, Rivals—and the smoothest symbiote in the Multiverse is ready to celebrate.” They added, “Yes, it’s real—complete Galacta’s Cosmic Adventure and snag all 24 rewards along the way to unlock the Symbiote Boogie emote! Because nothing screams ‘cosmic chaos’ quite like your superhero getting down with some slimy dance moves on the battlefield.”

Here’s the thing: this announcement dropped well before April 1, so it feels like it must be legit, right? Fascinatingly, one can’t just announce an event with a global debut that kicks off at an awkward hour for some regions and then say, “Gotcha!” That would be absurd, almost hilarious, if such a prank were announced way back in September.

We’ve all had an early glance at this so-called emote, and let me tell you, Venom’s doing his best impression of licorice while twerking. His tongue’s out, but that’s pretty on-brand for him. On the Rivals Discord, one amused player commented, “Venom cake is huge now, Venom mains gonna spam that emote every chance they get,” which well and truly captures the vibe of this unusual situation.

So, what’s your take on this Venom twerk emote? Do you think it’s real or just a clever ruse? Drop your thoughts below!