Goddess of Victory: NIKKE 2 teased an upcoming reveal on April 1, 2026, which turned out to be an extremely elaborate April Fools joke.
The article has now been updated to reflect the new announcements by ShiftUp.
NIKKE 2...Coming To Imaginations in 2036
SHIFT UP Starts April Fools With An Explosive Reveal
Goddess of Victory: NIKKE 2's sudden announcement yesterday turned out to be a setup for one huge April Fool's prank, now confirmed with the reveal of an in-depth, well-prepared "announcement trailer".
The seven-minute-long "teaser" stars Hyung-suk Yoo, the director of NIKKE, who begins the segment with a serious spiel about expanding the IP to its full potential and offering a first look into "Surface Beta 10.0". However, it begins to lean more into a prank the moment that Doro, a beloved community-created meme and mascot based off the character Dorothy, jumped into frame and began vying for the director’s attention.
Director Yoo then introduces Goddess of Victory: NIKKE - World, an obvious pun on popular action RPG Monster Hunter: World. An elaborate and detailed "gameplay trailer" follows suit, allowing players a glimpse into the "game".
NIKKE players would see the familiar faces of Rapi, Nayuta, Scarlet, Rapunzel, and Snow White through a mix of cinematic cutscenes and combat sequences against the boss Nihilister, ending with the reveal of the game’s so-called logo—the title stylized in the Monster Hunter series’ unique text style.
The video then concludes with a full title card and the statement that "Pre-registration begins on April 1st, 2036", closing the massive April Fool’s prank with a bang.
This isn’t the first time Goddess of Victory: NIKKE set out to fool their player base with elaborate schemes such as this. In 2024, they made a similar "announcement trailer" for a new NIKKE shooter called Dead Spicy featuring a character named Shifty.
UNBOUND x SHIFT UP Partnership Confirmed
Not all of SHIFT UP's announcements today have been part of an elaborate prank, as the company's official X/Twitter account and YouTube channel announced their partnership with UNBOUND, a Tokyo-based studio helmed by former Resident Evil director and Devil May Cry producer Shinji Mikami. Moving forward, SHIFT UP will "will publish UNBOUND’s titles, supporting the team with its global publishing expertise and resources as they develop original games."
It's the coming together of two creators and studios with the same vision for making games, and hoping to turn that potential into something even more. "We believe we can respect each other as creators and make games together...Seeing my own vision and ideals come into focus like this, and finding someone whose direction aligns so closely is something I’ve rarely experienced before in my career. I hope we keep building together for a long time," Mikami said.
Previous News:
Goddess of Victory: NIKKE 2 Teased Before April 1st Reveal
ShiftUp Surprises Fans, Urges Speculation
Goddess of Victory: NIKKE just announced a sequel to the acclaimed third-person gacha title on March 31, 2026!
Originally released on November 4, 2022, Goddess of Victory: NIKKE is a third-person gacha shooter in which players assume the role of a commander leading a squad of android soldiers known as Nikkes. Players must guide their squad in a struggle against mechanical beasts called Raptures, which have overrun the planet. As the story progresses, players slowly unravel the truth behind the conflict and the events that forced humanity to seek shelter underground.
According to a post on X (formerly Twitter) from the official Goddess of Victory: NIKKE account, a sequel is set to be revealed on April 1, 2026, teasing fans' expectations of what the new title might look like. While the English post remained vague, the Korean account included a disclaimer stating that the game will feature in-app purchases in the form of loot boxes. Although veteran players have already begun sharing speculations, many suspect this announcement may simply be an elaborate setup for the mobile game’s annual April Fool's event.
SHIFT UP Sets Up Official Account
However, there may be some credibility to the sudden announcement with the sudden launch of developer ShiftUp's official X/Twitter account. Not long after the reveal on all of NIKKE's official accounts, the SHIFT UP account themselves posted a cryptic post that read "There are some calls that need to be answered.", complete with a short 13-second video of an employee picking up a phone, all tense and nerve-wracking, before concluding with a simple "Announcement Coming Soon..."
At the end of the post, there is also a link to an upcoming video premiere set for April 1, 11AM KST (March 31, 7 PM PDT / 10 PM EDT). NIKKE 2 has been revealed to be one huge April Fools joke, but the next announcement video is still up on their YouTube channel. However, with the way things are going, this would most likely be another well-thought out prank for fans.
Sources:
Goddess of Victory: NIKKE Korean Announcement
Goddess of Victory: NIKKE English Announcement
