[Rewritten title] Assuming It’s Not a Prank, Marvel Rivals to Feature Venom’s Symbiotic Dance Next Week for April Fools’ Day Celebration

Alright, it’s March 28 as I pen this down, so I’m not too worried about stumbling into a journalist’s panic zone—aside from the hypothetical chaos of a 2AM Geoff Keighley showcase clashing with a Nintendo Direct. Yet, NetEase still has me on edge.

They’ve announced—unless they’re pulling one over on us, which seems highly improbable—that for April Fools’ Day, they’re introducing a Venom twerk emote to Marvel Rivals next week. Yep, you’ve read that right. Hence, my cautious optimism as I type with fingers crossed, hoping this isn’t just a prank!

Dubbed the Symbiote Boogie emote, this little move (given it’s not a prank) will be available as an in-game reward. You can snag it from 1AM GMT on April 1 until the same time on April 4, which translates to 8PM ET on March 31 through April 3. This delightful revelation came via a tweet and a post on Marvel Rivals’ official Discord server.

NetEase had this to say: “April Fools is just around the corner, Rivals, and the smoothest symbiote in the Multiverse is ready to celebrate. That’s right, it’s not a joke—complete Galacta’s Cosmic Adventure and collect all 24 rewards to unlock the Symbiote Boogie emote! Because nothing screams ‘cosmic chaos’ like your hero busting a slimy move on the battlefield.”

Now, here’s the thing. This has got to be genuine. They’ve rolled out this announcement well before the stroke of midnight on April 1, sparing us from a global timing fiasco. It would be wild to announce something that technically starts for some places but not for others, only to turn around and say “Gotcha!” Otherwise, you’d be laying the groundwork for April Fools’ jokes months in advance, which is both absurd and admittedly hilarious.

We’ve got a preview of this emote ahead of the dreaded April 1, showcasing Venom shaking it in a way that can only be described as having a bad case of thicc licorice syndrome. His tongue’s flailing too, but that’s just classic Venom. “Venom cake is huge now; Venom mains gonna spam that emote every chance they get,” chimed in one player on the Rivals Discord, capturing the essence of this potential prank.

So, are you crossing fingers hoping this Venom twerk emote isn’t just a playful tease? Drop your thoughts below!