You’ve probably played Among Us just recently or at least heard about it from the internet, but did you know the game was actually released back in 2018?
Two years after its original release, Among Us is now dominating the gaming scene. Its global popularity made the title one of the most successful and important games of 2020.
In August, the game garnered nearly 31 million hours watched on Twitch— cementing its status as a titan in the streaming industry.
Overnight success
Many wonder what’s the reason behind Among Us’ recent popularity, given the fact that most people haven’t even heard of the game a few weeks prior.
Though it was released two years ago, Among Us quickly gained traction because it was picked up by popular streamers like xQc and the OfflineTV squad. This caused a massive boost in popularity.
The game features a chance to bring together various streaming personalities at a time, making crossovers between streamers and online communities possible. In streaming, a collaboration on a scale like this is something that hasn’t been seen often before.
Thanks to the attention, the game is getting a surge of viewership on Twitch and even on other streaming platforms.
Back in June, Twitch merely had 14 channels dedicated to streaming the influential game. It only had an average of 174 viewers watching the title on a monthly basis. Now, the game steamrolls its way as the popularity continues to grow— and we’re talking about a global one.
‘Streamability’ factor
Twitch is another reason why the game started to gain a broader traction. There’s an almost infinite number of content to be created solely on Among Us, making it easy for the title to find a home on the platform.
It has even been featured by some of the most popular Twitch streamers. For last month, TwitchTracker revealed that an average of almost 500 channels streamed Among Us on a daily basis.
Think of any popular streamer and chances are, they’ve played the game at one point during the last 30 days. That’s how Among Us turned into such a hot, influential title that almost everyone on the platform instantly hopped on the bandwagon.
Unique collaboration space
The hype for Among Us not showing any signs of slowing down soon. One of its most appealing features, as was mentioned prior, is its ability to bring together some of the biggest names on Twitch.
The ability to bring people together is why Among Us continues to enjoy massive success on Twitch. It is to thank for some crossover events the platform hasn’t necessarily seen before; as there hasn’t been a similar moment for the biggest names in streaming come together in the past.
Through the title’s unique play environment, don’t be surprised to see xQc link up with Hasan Piker or Sodapoppin collaborating with Imaqtpie. Back then, it’s usually done through collaboration Q&A in Just Chatting.
3 factors that made Among Us a sleeper hit
The success of Among Us in the gaming scene boils down to three major factors:
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Simplicity
The premise of the game is actually quite simple: you’re one of 4-10 alien players on a spaceship somewhere in outer space. One of you is an Impostor, whose main goal is to kill everyone else or sabotage their way to Victory by causing a reactor meltdown or depleting the ship’s O2 supply.
The rest of the players are part of the regular crew who’s just trying to escape unharmed, by completing the tasks assigned to them and fixing every sabotage caused by the Impostor.
This simple premise provides an avenue for expansive entertainment, which is quite amusing especially when played with friends!
Many players opt to use Discord to communicate with their friends as they play Among Us, but make sure to lay some ground rules so the game will be enjoyed by everyone! If you get killed by the impostor, don’t go revealing who it was or what their color is. Leave it to the rest of the surviving crew to figure it out.
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Availability
The game’s relatively low $5 price point on Steam appeals to many, considering it is an extremely generous asking price for such a highly-celebrated title.
For mobile gamers, the title is free to download on both iOS and Android. There’s little to no reason for you to miss out on what the hype is all about!
Come and check out the fun for yourself. Are you going to be an impostor or a mere crewmate in your first game? Let us know in the comments down below!
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Popularity
How do you mingle with your friends amid a pandemic? With so many travel restrictions brought by COVID-19, Among Us provides an online medium for friends to bond together and have fun!
You can host a room of your own, where you will be provided a unique 4-character pincode. Either you can also set the room private, making it exclusive to those you know, or public— where anyone online can join.
Among Us is arguably the most trending game this summer, along with Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, so don’t miss out on all the fun!
Tips and tricks
For beginners, here are some game strategies you can almost always use in any situation:
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Don’t use the vent when not needed
If you’re playing as the Impostor, keep in mind that vent-hopping is unnecessary most of the time. This only increases the chances of a random crewmate walking in on you as you use the vent.
As a precaution, avoid using the vent except after discreetly killing a crew member.
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Think twice about reporting
When caught in a rather tricky situation, think twice about reporting dead bodies as the other members will definitely grill you and ask you questions. Reporting a dead body will make you look suspicious, especially if there are people around the murder area.
Chances are, they might think you self-reported your own crime. Feel free to report a dead body if you’re all alone though, and be specific as much as possible— as to where you found the body, who you bumped into along the way, etc.
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Fake it till you make it
How do you make yourself appear normal to the other crew members as an Impostor? Simple, do some tasks everyone else on the ship are busy doing.
Faking your tasks makes you look unsuspicious, which is always good to make others believe you’re one of them.
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Avoid killing in the cafeteria, storage, admin room or hallways
These areas on the map are out in the open, meaning there’s a great chance someone might walk in on you if you attempt to kill someone. Avoid these places unless you really need to (say, in the final 4).
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Stick with the group once you’re done with your tasks
Once done with your assigned tasks with only a few people left, try to stick together with the group. That way, you can monitor who’s missing from the mob and might be out for blood. This is most effective when done in the final 4.
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Be patient!
You don’t need to kill everybody you bump into, regardless of the temptation. Be patient with the killing! The game’s algorithm might assign you as an Imposter once in a blue moon, so don’t screw up the few chances you have.
Majority of the crew members do not need to be killed immediately. You can always do it in a pattern, kill and sabotage, until you achieve that highly-coveted Victory.
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Use the chat feature
Every time a body is reported or an emergency meeting is called, take advantage of the chat feature to communicate with others. Asking “Who are we voting?” or “Where was the body found?” might help weed out some probable suspects.
If you’re an impostor, asking for others’ opinion will also help you look less suspicious.
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Take some precautions
Given that you’re done with your assigned tasks, always take extra precautions so as not to put yourself in a vulnerable position (prone to being a target). You can always do some laps around the map, giving the Impostor a rougher time to get discreet kills.
Remember that there’s an option to have 2 impostors in a match though, so trust no one!
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Watch out for the status bar
If you’re suspecting somebody, one way to monitor if they are actually doing their tasks is to keep an eye out for the task status bar found in the upper left portion of the screen.
The bar moves when a task is done, except if a task has multiple parts as only the final part confirms the progress.
If it’s an ordinary cewmate, they should get going at most 1 second after the bar moves. Any later can be considered suspicious, but of course not guaranteed.
Bottomline
The Among Us hype train is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon! In fact, developer Innersloth confirmed a sequel (Among Us 2) is coming soon. The devs are planning to “basically include Among Us 1, in some capacity” for the anticipated 2021 release.
Call your friends and invite them to play Among Us— you might be surprised to know which of your friends are ultimately good at deceiving others.
