It seems hard to believe that it’s taken this long for Fortnite and Among Us to cross over, but it’s finally happening: Fortnite is getting new Among Us-themed items, including an adorable Back Bling based on the Among Us Crewmates. Epic Games has been partnering up with video game and movie studios alike to bring some of pop culture’s most popular characters onto the Fortnite Island to do battle. Now that Epic and Innersloth are over the drama caused by Fortnite‘s limited-time Imposters Mode copying Among Us, it seems an appearance in Fortnite by iconic characters from one of the 2020s most popular games is well overdue.
Fortnite players are able to equip skins, items and emotes, with designs often based on characters from a wide variety of movies, TV shows, and video games. All of these items are typically either earned by finishing in-game challenges to gain levels in Fortnite’s Battle Pass, unlocking new content, or by purchasing them from the Fortnite Item Shop outright using V-Bucks. V-Bucks can also be earned, or bought using real-world money. Fortnite has become popular with creators looking for fun ways to promote upcoming projects; both PlayStation and Xbox have introduced famous characters, including Horizon Zero Dawn’s Aloy and Halo’s Master Chief, to Fortnite in the past. Fortnite’s latest season will feature even more characters, with Star Wars’ Obi Wan Kenobi making his Fortnite debut later this season to promote the Disney Plus series.
Among Us itself was popular during the lockdown in 2020, with players coming together for a tense social deduction, trying to figure out which of their friends were imposters intent on snuffing out their crewmates’ lives. Among Us has had its own share of crossovers with other pop culture franchises, and its bean-shaped astronauts have made their own cameos in other games. Fans of Among Us and Fortnite have something to look forward to with this new collaboration, namely the Crewmate Back Bling, which players can equip on their characters’ backs, and a special Distraction Dance emote for their characters.
How to Unlock the Among Us Crewmate Back Bling in Fortnite
Unfortunately, Fortnite’s Among Us Crewmate Back Bling isn’t part of all the content in Fortnite’s latest Battle Pass, nor is the item available from the Fortnite Item Shop. The Crewmate Back Bling is only available to people who purchase Among Us or a pack of Among Us Stars, which serve as in-game currency, on the Epic Games Store. Once either of these are bought, both the Crewmate Back Bling and Distraction Dance emote will automatically be awarded to the player’s Fortnite account. This collaboration between Epic Games and Among Us developers Innersloth is set to last until June 9th, 2023, giving players a whole year to take advantage of the promotion.
While some devoted Fortnite fans, such as those subscribed to the Fortnite Crew program for its exclusive monthly content won’t have any qualms about paying, other Fortnite players are perhaps less keen to spend. For these players, Epic also has a solution: just wait. The Among Us promotion’s FAQ states that “these cosmetics will be available in the Fortnite in-game shop at a later date.” It appears that patient players will eventually have the chance to buy the Among Us Crewmate Back Bling from the Item Shop with their hard-earned V-Bucks instead, although Epic hasn’t made it clear exactly when.
Fortnite is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X.
