Two of Forza Horizon 4’s dancing emotes have been removed from the driving game in what appears to be a reaction to legal actions that have recently been levied against Fortnite and Epic Games.
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Forza Horizon 4 and Fortnite couldn’t be much more different, but they have some emotes in common. The “Carlton” and “Floss” dances were both among the emotes Forza Horizon 4 players had to choose from, but they’ve been removed in the game’s most recent update. Playground Games quietly took the emotes out with only one line in the patch notes saying “The ‘Carlton’ and ‘Floss’ avatar emotes are no longer available.”
No explanation was given as to why the two emotes were taken out of the game, but if you’ve been following the news surrounding Epic Games, Fortnite, and the different parties taking legal action against he battle royale game, it’s not hard to imagine what inspired this decision. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribeiro is pursuing a lawsuit against Epic Games for the alleged misappropriation of his signature dance aptly referred to as “The Carlton.” The dance isn’t called that name in Fortnite but is more on the nose in Forza Horizon 4, though Ribeiro only appears to be taking legal action against Epic Games as well as 2K.
Ribeiro isn’t the only person who’s pursuing lawsuits against Epic Games either with other parties joining in one after another, each of them saying they’ve got dances in the game that are being used without their consent. Instagram star Backpack Kid is the one who popularized the flossing dance and is also taking action against Epic Games. The latest development in the ongoing Fortnite emote saga is that the mother of the Fortnite fan known as Orange Shirt Kid who had his Orange Justice emote added to the game is also suing Epic Games. The suit refers to the dance not by its in-game name but as “the Random,” the name that the boy gave it when first submitting his moves for consideration in Epic Games’ Boogiedown contest.
Forza Horizon 4’s full patch notes with the emote removal and other details related to the latest update can be seen here.
