Video gaming is as driven by viral phenomena as any other entertainment segment.
But it looks like Among Us is a particularly special game. It not only features the best of gaming but also combines it with social aspects that draw people into some of the more intense sessions we’ve heard of this year.
The premise is simple enough: You are a member of a crew aboard a spaceship – or you’re not. See, there are imposters on the crew that try to sabotage the ship’s journey by killing other crew members. Part of that involved deceiving the crew into thinking other people are doing the killing.
Released on Steam for $5 in 2018 and available on mobile platforms for free with ads, Among Us has taken off so quickly that its developer InnerSloth is moving forward with a wholesale cancellation of the game’s sequel. The developers will instead focus on making the current iteration of the game as good as possible.
InnerSloth’s Forest Willard told CNN in an interview, “We canceled the sequel because we saw the opportunity to give back to the players a little bit faster than creating a new, better version. It will be more work in the long run, but we’re excited for players to update the game, and suddenly there’s a brand new feature or map that unlocks new experiences.”
InnerSloth, a team of three people, is grappling with all of the success that comes with a seemingly overnight sensation like Among Us and they’re doing a pretty darn good job of it. The game is already spawning memes and bleeding over into the general zeitgeist with famous musicians and celebrities either outright advertising that they play it or asking their fans about it.
One thing working in the game’s favor is the general mood of video games recently. The novel coronavirus pandemic has basically thrown kerosene on the fire that is the growth of the games industry and, with social distancing measures still in place in many parts of the world, it is no shock that a social experience like this goes viral.
Plus, as many people are pointing out, you can almost guarantee that this will spawn a bevy of clones. That’s not to knock clones, either. Remember, Fortnite basically displaced PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and no one is really complaining about Epic’s darling being a “knockoff” (except PUBG diehards).
Are you playing Among Us? What is your take on the game? If you don’t own it, would you like to try it out? Wherever you stand, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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