Fortnite Dances: All TikTok And Icon Series Emotes

Mark Delaney August 30, 2021 Games Leave a comment 11 Views

Fortnite dances are just one part of Epic’s quest to have the game become the all-encompassing hub of pop culture and social gathering space of the future. Today the game is, in many cases, already treated as the new social media for younger players who would rather socialize in Fortnite than post to Facebook and Twitter.

The Fortnite Icon Series isn’t just home to some of the most popular character skins, it’s also the rarity type for dozens of licensed songs and dances that players can use in-game. With music ranging from Rick Astley’s retro hit “Never Gonna Give You Up” to modern reggaeton hits like J Balvin’s “In Da Ghetto,” today the Fortnite Icon Series skins are joined by a growing list of dances made famous in music videos and TikTok.

There was a time when Epic skirted the line of including these dances the right way, like when popular dances such as The Carlton and The Floss were put in the game. This led to some legal trouble for Epic, which was sued by Alfonso Ribeiro and Backpack Kid respectively, among others, with dancers claiming ownership of the moves. Most cases were eventually withdrawn when either the US Copyright Office denied copyrights or, in at least one case, Epic even won the lawsuit.

Today, Epic may be more able to include these dances without the threat of legal action after setting a precedent with its past victory, but it seems the company has changed how it goes about its business anyway, just to keep things out of the courts. When a viral dance appears in Fortnite, it now tends to include attribution, citing its creator in the emote’s details, which suggests a deal has been worked out with the original dancer or singer.

Some other emotes are tied to artists even as they are wholly invented for Fortnite, like the Lil’ Floaticorn emote, where players ride a llamacorn (llama unicorn). That one is part of the Ariana Grande set and is still considered part of the Icon Series as a result even as, last we checked, Ariana Grande has not been seen riding a fantasy creature.

It was only in 2021 when the TikTok dance emotes were all retroactively moved into the Icon Series, expanding the series enormously. These days, you’ll find licensed music, popular dances, and more in the ever-expanding Fortnite Icon Series emotes library. Here’s every Icon Series emote so far.