Fortnite‘s popular Bye Bye Bye emote may be permanently removed from the battle royale’s item shop, following a lawsuit against Sony. The emote was first added to Fortnite in 2024 alongside the return of the Deadpool skin.
The Epic Games battle royale has welcomed a litany of crossovers into the game, spanning all corners of pop culture. Fortnite has introduced skins based on everything from popular movies, video games, and TV shows to real-world celebrities and musicians. Each new season of the shooter typically boasts a major crossover as one of the highlights of the season, including the Game of Thrones collaboration in Fortnite‘s Chapter 7: Season 2. Now, however, a fan-favorite emote, based on a popular NSYNC song’s inclusion in Deadpool and Wolverine, may never return to the in-game shop.
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Fortnite’s Bye Bye Bye Emote May Never Return
Fortnite fans are concerned that a recent legal dispute between a choreographer for pop group NSYNC and Sony may prevent the Bye Bye Bye emote from returning to the shop. The lawsuit was filed by choreographer Darrin Henson, who created the iconic dance routine for Bye Bye Bye, against Sony for its licensing practices with the dance move. The complaint alleges that Henson was the sole owner of the choreography when the choreography was licensed, seeking a court declaration confirming his sole ownership and recovery of money earned through Sony’s licensing. The lawsuit will likely prevent the dance routine from being sold again in Fortnite, given the financial consequences of the legal dispute.
The lawsuit from Henson makes several accusations about Sony’s use of the dance and his sentiments about its legacy. Henson states that Sony’s use of the dance has “whitewashed” the routine, claiming that many modern fans now associate the dance more with Deadpool than NSYNC. Sony is also alleged to have licensed the Bye Bye Bye routine to Marvel Studios and Epic Games without Henson’s consent as the original creator of the dance. Epic Games has not made an official statement about the impact of the Bye Bye Bye lawsuit on the in-game emote.
Fortnite‘s expected removal of the Bye Bye Bye emote from its item shop rotation comes as the dance has already seen an extended absence. The emote has not returned to Fortnite‘s in-game shop since its initial release in September 2024, currently going more than 500 days since it was available for purchase. The in-game version of Bye Bye Bye also plays the original song by NSYNC when using the emote, with the emote featuring a synced dance allowing other players to join in on the routine.
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Bye Bye Bye’s permanent delisting from the Fortnite shop would not be the first time Epic Games has unceremoniously removed an emote. Fortnite took down the Peaceful Hips emote, part of the Peacemaker collaboration, from the item shop in September 2025 after fans suggested that parts of the dance resembled a swastika. Epic Games has also regularly removed various weapons from the game, both to address exploits and for game balancing reasons. The Bye Bye Bye emote will be sorely missed by many fans of both NSYNC and Deadpool if the emote truly never returns.
- Released
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September 26, 2017
- ESRB
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T for Teen – Diverse Content: Discretion Advised, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
