Amidst reports of Nintendo Power covering a new Castlevania for the DS, many gaming sites latched on to emerging rumors of Gamepro also doing a feature on the game. A magazine scan of Gamepro’s upcoming issue soon surfaced with the words “Castlevania: Dual Moons” emblazoned on the cover. That was more than enough to have several news writers bursting through their pressroom doors yelling “Stop the presses!”

Some ran the story immediately, while others approached the item with cautious optimism, taking the Day of Fools into account. We decided to wait and see how it all turned out before risking our readers’ trust. Our stodgy ways paid off, as it wasn’t long before a “Photoshop Tutorial” appeared on GameSpy’s forums detailing how the original poster of the magazine scan created the fake cover.

As scammers advance their methods and measures to foil increasingly aware gaming sites, one can only worry about where this growing arms race will take us. What’s next? Faked high-resolution screenshots? Audio interviews with people impersonating developers? Tricksters commissioning development teams to program actual games, formally releasing them? Picture yourself enjoying a title that seems authentic in every aspect. It won’t be until months later, when the joker jumps out from behind a bush to jeer, “fake game lol”, that we’ll realize our folly.

Photoshop Tutorial: Fake Gamepro Cover

Submitter:aarond