Fortnite has been receiving a lot of hate recently thanks to the Impostors Mode being a blatant copy of Among Us. It also begs the question of whether or not Fortnite is finally running out of ideas.
In just a few days ago, Epic Games launched Fortnite: Impostors, a new mode that copies the core game mechanics of Among Us. To give the folks who might be living under a rock a bit of a background as to what Among Us is, it’s a multiplayer game that skyrocketed into popularity around 2020 during the start of the pandemic. For just a few bucks, gamers can get to have fun with their peers through the “whodunnit?” method. However, Fortnite and Epic Games have come under fire due to the blatant copy of the award-winning game. In fact, the studio responsible for Among Us, Innersloth, was unhappy at how Epic has copy-pasted their whole shindig to Fortnite. This begs the question of whether or not there are even original ideas left for Epic to do in Fortnite as it seems like all they do is copy everything. The skins are great, not gonna lie, but they’re basically being plucked out of an already existing franchise. Epic only needs to do the bare minimum to put the outfits and other accessories into the Fortnite Item Shop.
Epic is Possibly Committing Art Theft
As previously mentioned, Innersloth is not happy with what’s going on in Fortnite. In fact, some employees even went to social media to take a stab at what’s happening. Gary Porter, one of the developers for Among Us, pointed out that there are several similarities between the map their game and what Fortnite uses for their Impostors Mode. It just begs the question of why does it seem difficult for larger companies to put even a tiny bit more effort into putting their own spin on another game that they’ve been “inspired” by. It should be worth noting though that the mechanics in Among Us aren’t patented and could be used by anyone, and that’s fine as in doing so it doesn’t lead to nurturing a healthy game industry. But to fully copy someone else’s idea and profit from it is simply a no-no. Despite Impostors Mode only being here for a limited time, it has no doubt caught a lot of attention, both good or bad. With so many collabs and characters from famous shows and video games being brought over to the Fortnite Item Shop, it seems like Epic Games doesn’t really know when to stop stepping over their boundaries. Would it kill for them to make something original for once?
Too Many Collabs
One thing’s for sure when it comes to Epic: they’re extremely addicted to doing collaborations. Whether it’s about an obscure film or a well-known streamer, Fortnite has a lot of wacky characters from all walks of life. While it was certainly nice to see some of one’s favorite characters come to the battle royale at first, too much is just too much.
There’s also the matter of virtual concerts. They’re definitely fun, no one can argue with that, but it raises the question of whether Fortnite is more than just a game at this point. With so many skins that are set to release in the future from other series (based on the leaks that were presented), it’s hard to find the true identity of Fortnite these days. Sure, there are original characters such as Agent Jones, but those are just a drop of a pebble compared to the surge of well-known characters coming into Fortnite almost every day.
The Criticisms
Fortnite has already long been criticized by the community for its crass rendering/amalgamation of popular culture. In the past, this is often seen in the dance emotes that were released without crediting the original creators of the dances. The Impostor Mode in Fortnite Battle Royale is just icing on the cake as to how hypocritical Epic has been throughout the years. Epic Games’ choice to copy Among Us just months after their bitter and tumultuous battle with Apple over the basic freedoms of all consumers and developers is just too funny because of how ironic everything is now.
Closing Remarks
It’s safe to say that Epic Games is receiving a lot of backlash from its players and small developers because of Impostors Mode. There’s currently no news as to how Epic will be responding to the outcries of the people, but we’re hoping that they actually apologize or amend the moves that were made when Impostors Mode was made official. But then again, Epic is a large company worth millions of dollars, so there’s a huge possibility that this might not even faze them. What do you think about the tons of collabs made in the Fortnite Item Shop? What about your stance concerning Impostors Mode being a copycat of Among Us? Let us know down below.
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