You can’t blindly trust anything that happens on April 1st—and the screenshots of a potential DuckTales video game, which quickly went viral, were no different.
The screenshots, which were praised for their colorful aesthetic and faithful renditions of beloved DuckTales characters, were initially Tweeted by FDG Entertainment and were announced as an upcoming collaborative project with Game Atelier.
Surprise! We're happy to announce our new game project #DuckTales QuackShots together with our #MonsterBoyGame development partner Game Atelier! pic.twitter.com/iQfmnwLcPH
— FDG Entertainment (@FDG_Games) April 1, 2020
The announcement received over 1000 retweets and close to 9000 likes over the course of a single day. Most of the comments from fans recognized the tweet as an April Fool’s prank but expressed disappointment due to the high quality of the screenshots.
Although only a few screenshots were shown, DuckTales Quackshots seemed to be an adventure game featuring Huey, Dewey, Louie, Donald and other characters exploring a variety of exciting locations.
The next day, FDG Entertainment confirmed with a follow-up tweet that, unfortunately, DuckTales Quackshots was not actually in development. The studio had pitched the game to Disney, but it was rejected and did not receive a license. The announcement was chosen as an April Fool’s joke in order to showcase all the hard work put into the game.
Thank you for the overwhelming feedback on our #DuckTales Quackshot screens. We worked hard on a legit pitch to Disney but unfortunately never got the license. It would've been a shame to bury the material so it became this years #AprilFools. Maybe someday Disney will reconsider? pic.twitter.com/oLzikKds4u
— FDG Entertainment (@FDG_Games) April 1, 2020
While the game was rejected by Disney, the creative team behind the currently airing DuckTales cartoon responded positively and with great excitement. Co-executive producer Frank Angones, actor and comedian Bobby Moynihan (who voices Louie) and director Tanner Johnson all greatly enjoyed the Tweet, with Angones asking on his own Twitter “How do I make this not a joke”?
In the meantime, while no official game based on the rebooted cartoon exists, DuckTales Remastered, which was inspired by the original show, has returned to digital storefronts. It is currently available for thePlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U and PC via Steam.
Additionally, the DuckTales cartoon is currently airing on Disney XD, with the third season premiering on April 4. The previous two seasons are available to stream via the Disney+ service. Why not add DuckTales to your “quarantine binge” list today?
