Epic Games have admitted the Imposters mode for Fortnite was “inspired” by InnerSloth‘s multiplayer social deduction game Among Us.
We previously reported in August of this year how InnerSloth were frustrated over Fortnite‘s then new Imposters mode; as it shared many similarities to Among Us. This was while the team had been trying to officially collaborate with Epic Games.
The Imposters mode features ten players with two saboteurs among them. While Agents attempt to complete their tasks, the Imposters must kill the Agents off and sabotage them- without getting voted out in the process. Imposters also have abilities to teleport players away, or force everyone to look the same for a short time.
Now, a blog post on the official Fortnite website discussing the V18.20 update has acknowledged the similarities. “v18.20 brings improvements to Impostors, the game mode inspired by Among Us from Innersloth!” the post reads. These improvements add role bias, and the option for open voice chat.
“We didn’t patent the Among Us mechanics,” InnerSloth co-founder Marcus Bromander tweeted back in August, “I don’t think that leads to a healthy game industry. Is it really that hard to put 10% more effort into putting your own spin on it though?”
When others inquired if InnerSloth could have patented the game’s mechanics, Bromander replied “If WB can patent a Nemesis System and Square can patent the ATB system we could patent the tasks system for example.”
Is this single acknowledgement by Epic Games enough? Where is the line drawn for inspiration, and how much needs to be done before it is deemed something new? How far should a patent go for game mechanics? Sound off in the comments below!
Fortnite is available on Windows PC (via the Epic Games Store), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Android.
Among Us is available on Windows PC (via Itch.io, and Steam), Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, and coming soon to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
Image: Fortnite official website
