Why it matters: Every year on April 1, tech companies throughout the world join the joke-related festivities. They pretend to release outlandish products, promise ridiculous new features for existing products, or simply add some goofy design elements to their websites to commemorate the occasion.
While there's plenty of debate surrounding whether or not tech companies should be making these jokes to begin with, it's tough to deny that many of them are quite creative - Razer's "Project Breadwinner" is a good example of that. Project Breadwinner was the company's April Fool's joke for 2016, and at its heart was the "Razer Toaster," a "gaming-grade" kitchen appliance.
What started as a gag product is now becoming a real thing, according to Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan. After 3 years of fan requests, Tan has caved into the pressure and agreed to put his team of engineers together and develop a true Razer Toaster with community input.
Fan requests alone aren't what pushed Tan over the edge, though. The CEO reportedly issued a challenge some time ago stating that if the "Give us the Razer Toaster" page – which has been actively campaigning for the cause – managed to reach 1 million likes (a verified Razer Toaster tattoo acts as the equivalent of 100,000 likes), Razer would make the Toaster.
Perhaps unfortunately for Tan, the Facebook group has called his bluff, reaching the goal through 12 fan tattoos and over 45,000 page likes.
"Alright - I didn't think these guys were going to make it - but they did. It was to hit 1M likes and with each Razer Toaster tattoo being equivalent to 100K likes each....and they now have 12 Razer Toaster tattoos," Tan said on Facebook. "Well....what can I say. I've just officially liked their page - and I'm going to put together my team of designers and engineers. It will take a few years - but I'll be sure to share the progress - and make it a community affair."
Either Tan misjudged Razer fans' dedication to the cause, or he has always secretly wanted to make the Toaster. Either way, we look forward to seeing what Razer comes up with in the next few years.