“Impostor. Sus. Vent.” If you read any of those words and your mind instantly goes to a specific thing that’s been flooding the internet, then you’ve probably heard of Among Us. It was revered by almost everyone on the internet and the gaming community. Looking at it now, it’s hard to believe that this game was first released in 2018. If you ask anyone, it won’t be surprising that most of them think that the game only recently came out. So what makes this game so special? What could be the factors contributing to Among Us’ surge in popularity in 2020? Here are five possible factors!
1. Twitch Streamers
The man who started it all.
One of the earliest people to play Among Us was Twitch streamer Sodapoppin. According to TwitchTracker, Sodapoppin first played the game on July 15th of 2020, which had an average viewership of 24,268. Since then, many other big names in the streaming gig followed suit, like Pewdiepie, Pokimane, Jacksepticeye, and xQc, to name a few. As a result, these famous figures with their mass following and a high number of viewerships brought the game into the eyes of everyone else, and the rapid surge in popularity of the game soon increased to staggering levels worldwide. Quartz reported that the game’s developers, Innersloth, announced that the game had over 60 million active players, which is a massive increase from when the game first came out, which reportedly only had 30 users at certain times.
2. World in Quarantine
Lockdown gaming.
2020, in particular, has been tough on everyone. Ever since the Covid-19 Pandemic began to enter everyone’s reality, many people had to adapt to the changes surrounding this unfortunate circumstance. Activities like watching movies, going to the mall, engaging in sports, or even just grabbing a bite to eat have proven complicated. People are forced to find other ways to hang with friends. As such, games, in general, rose in popularity. Among Us features a free-to-play multiplayer of up to 10 players. Not only that, but it’s also easy to learn and can be played by anyone. Coffee sessions and romantic dinners will have to wait, folks!
3. Accessible and Free
Hiding in plain sight.
There’s no denying that Among Us is highly accessible and easy to play. It’s only 4.99 USD on Steam, and not to mention free on mobile devices! Having that convenience to pick up and play makes the game accessible to everyone, as mostly everyone has a cellphone in contrast to having to plug in a console or a PC. Free games and accessibility plays a huge part in getting games more streamlined and noticed, especially for Indies. And true enough, this contributed to Among Us‘ surge in popularity.
4. Jumping on the Fall Guys Bandwagon
Among Fall Guys.
Before Among Us’ surge in popularity, Fall Guys was shaping to be one of the most popular social games of 2020. As of Q3 2020, Among Us replaced Fall Guys as the most-streamed party game on Twitch. Accessibility and price probably play a factor in this because Fall Guys is only available on Steam and PS4 for 19.99 USD. When you look at the two games side by side, it won’t seem like too much of a stretch to say that they share certain similarities. Essentially, they’re both an online multiplayer party game, and both games feature adorable brightly colored bean-like creatures.
5. Branding
This is more of an after-effect than a factor, but I think it still plays a part, regardless! Ever since Among Us flooded the socials, multiple brands have taken it as an opportunity to come out with Among Us content, such as memes. Well, mostly memes. Some of these brands include popular TV Show Brooklyn Nine-Nine and even the Fall Guys developers themselves. And of course, who can forget when congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) had a Twitch session of the game? A bunch of brands in Singapore and Malaysia also jumped on the hype train and came out with creative Among Us artwork!
There's an imposter among us. pic.twitter.com/ehtmYTtFH8
— Brooklyn Nine-Nine (@nbcbrooklyn99) October 23, 2020
Among Us’ surge in popularity didn’t happen overnight, and it took nearly two years for it really get into the public eye, but all the wait was worth it because it gave us a chance to experience a wonderful game that brought many joyous gameplay sessions!
