In a blog post detailing updates to Fortnite‘s Impostors mode, developer Epic Games has finally credited Among Us as the inspiration behind the mode.
As reported on by Eurogamer, the blog post reveals the contents of the game’s Patch 18.20, including improvements to the Impostors mode like the addition of in-game open voice chat and a Role Bias feature that allows players to select whether they’d rather be an Agent or an Impostor—though this preference doesn’t guarantee role selection. In a line addition so small it’s easy to miss, the post reads that the update “brings improvements to Impostors, the game mode inspired by Among Us from Innersloth.” The in-game client doesn’t include the line, however. It’s only present in the blog post right now.
The reveal of Fortnite’s Impostors mode caused a big stir earlier this year, with Innersloth community director Victoria Tran detailing in August how disappointed she was that Impostors was extremely similar to Among Us. Impostors features many of the same aspects as the indie megahit, including themes, terminology, and mechanics. It’s essentially Among Us with a Fortnite coat of paint.
At one point, Innersloth was apparently planning a Fortnite-Among Us collaboration, which muddied the Impostors waters even further. The event created a heated debate around how much of a game is considered original and how much can be “re-used” in other titles, as well as the relationship between indie and AAA developers.
The official Fortnite Twitter account also posted a tweet today where it mentioned that Impostors is inspired by Among Us. The official Among Us Twitter account replied, starting a back-and-forth between the accounts. “We never got to talk about how you inspired us,” the Fortnite account wrote. “What do you think about working on something fun together sometime?”
“Yesssss have ur Agents contact our Crewmates,” the Among Us account responded.
