In September, Among Us entered the all-time, record-setting peak player club on Steam. According to Steamcharts, 388,385 people played Among Us simultaneously, more than GTA V on its Steam debut. And that’s not even counting the millions on iOS and Android.
How did Among Us become such a sudden phenomenon, nearly two years after it launched? So big that it became the most-streamed game on Twitch in September, and its developer cancelled plans for a sequel to keep working on it? There’s more to it than just viral Twitch popularity. A few key things made Among Us a massive hit: free mobile apps, extremely low PC system requirements, and the Mafia. I’ll explain that last one first.
The game at the heart of Among Us has actually been around for decades. Among Us is the latest popular adaptation of Mafia, aka Werewolf. This social deception game, about a group of players trying to identify the traitor(s) in their midst, dates back to the 1980s. Among Us adds structure to the basic experience: players have a chance to win by completing objectives around the map, which inevitably spreads out the crowd and gives the impostors a chance to strike.
A big part of Among Us’ success is simply that Mafia is a fun, endlessly playable game that scales well to big groups. But in 2020, getting together to play games like Werewolf in-person isn’t really an option. We’re primed for social interactions to play out over Zoom and voice chats, and Among Us is an easy laugh generator with friends. Or people who are soon to be unfriended…
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A New Dawn - The rise, fall and rise again of PC Gaming in Japan
The so-called 'Paso Kon' market (ie katakana's transliteration of 'Pasonaru Computa') in Japan was originally spearheaded in the 1980s by NEC's PC-8800 and, later, its PC-9800.
MARVEL: ULTIMATE ALLIANCE
Enter the multiverse of modness.
SLIDES RULE
Redeeming a hated puzzle mechanic with SLIDER
GODS AND MONSTERS
AGE OF MYTHOLOGY: RETOLD modernises a classic RTS with care
PHANTOM BLADE ZERO
Less Sekiro, more Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
STARR-MAKING ROLE
Final Fantasy XVI's BEN STARR talks becoming a meme and dating summons
THIEF GOLD
Learning to forgive myself for knocking out every single guard.
HANDHELD GAMING PCs
In lieu of more powerful processors, handhelds are getting weirder
FAR FAR AWAY
STAR WARS OUTLAWS succeeds at the little things, but not much else shines
FINDING IMMORTALITY
Twenty-five years on, PLANESCAPE: TORMENT is still one of the most talked-about RPGs of all time. This is the story of how it was created as a ‘stay-busy’ project by a small team at Black Isle Studios
