xQc loses temper with Overwatch’s “dumb” Reinhardt April Fools joke

Joe O'Brien

It appears popular streamer Félix ‘xQc’ Lengyel doesn’t appreciate Blizzard’s Overwatch April Fools features.

For many, April 1 is a day for making jokes and pulling pranks, and game developers often get in on the action by adding some ridiculous features to spice things up.

Blizzard have a long history of participating in April Fools – so much so that they keep an archive of their jokes dating back to 1999 – and Overwatch is no exception.

Reinhardt roleplay

For this year’s April Fools day, like the previous two, Blizzard have added a feature to help Reinhardt players get into character.

In accordance with the hero’s loud and enthusiastic demeanor, Reinhardt players will find that all of their in-game chat messages are automatically capitalized, and will have several exclamation mark as well as one of Reinhardt’s voice lines – such as “PRECISION GERMAN ENGINEERING!!!” added to the end.

The feature appeared on April 1, and is likely to disappear shortly after. In the meantime, however, Reinhardt players will be roleplaying in the chat – whether they want to or not.

Reinhardt players have found their chat modified every April Fools day since 2017.

Not all fun and games

Being a main tank, xQc obviously finds himself playing Reinhardt quite frequently, and it seems he’s not too keen on Blizzard’s April Fools prank.

While the joke is obviously intended just as a bit of fun, it does rather limit the range of expression for Reinhardt players – it’s hard to convey a more serious tone, for instance, with excessive exclamation marks and a “CATCHPHRASE!” to end – which can get a little frustrating if you’re actually trying to communicate something.

A simple question, for example, becomes “WHO IS THE HANZO!!! CATCHPHRASE!!!” Subsequently, when xQc attempted to express his frustration with the prank, his venting became “WHY DOES THIS APRIL THING MAKE ME UNABLE TO TYPE PROPERLY!!! CATCHPHRASE!!!!!” followed by “DUDE, I’M ACTUALLY DONE!!! PRECISION GERMAN ENGINEERING!!!!!”

Unable to escape the April Fools joke in-game, xQc decided instead to take his frustration out on his desk.

Fortunately for xQc, and anyone else who isn’t keen on being forced to talk like Reinhardt, the feature isn’t likely to last too long.

Sign up to Dexerto for free and receive:
Fewer Ads|Dark Mode|Deals in Gaming, TV and Movies, and Tech