Among Us
A social deduction game where crewmates hunt impostors, played on mobile and Steam.
Where Among Us comes up2 episodes and tests
App MastersHow Among Us Became #1 Mobile Game
Gcreator of Game Maker's Toolkit testHow Accessible Were 2020's Biggest Games?Among Us spent about two years in obscurity, then spiked around August 2020 on Twitch and YouTube streamers and lockdown demand for light social play. It was free on mobile and under five dollars on Steam. Lesson: a plug-and-play social game priced low can break out late, so relaunch or retime before shelving, and patch in accessibility fixes like its colourblind symbols after player feedback.
- 1Sat unnoticedAbout two years in obscurity
- 2Lockdown created demandPlayers wanted light, social games
- 3Streamers picked it upTwitch and YouTube made it watchable
- 4Charts spikedSudden jump around August 2020
From Javier Barnes, Among Us breakout notes
What was said about Among Us
1How Among Us broke out in 2020 after two quiet years
Among Us sat unnoticed for two years, then spiked overnight. The game spent about two years in obscurity before daily charts showed a sudden spike around August 2020. Twitch and YouTube streamers brought it to life.
The rise was sudden, not a slow climb. A social, watchable format let it ride streaming attention once it caught on.
Lockdown created demand for light, low-stress games played with others. After months of lockdown spent on demanding titles, players wanted something restful that still let them interact. Among Us needs no skill or practice and lets people play with friends they can't meet in person.
Javier Barnes tracks Reddit gamer groups to read the market mood and saw players had been playing hardcore games more than ever. He calls the category "light headed" social games. "You don't need to be good at it to get fun and to perform."
A free or very cheap price opens the game to a casual audience. Among Us is free on mobile and costs under five dollars on Steam.
Javier argues price and distribution reach decide how big a light social game can get.
Try a radical change or a relaunch before killing a game. Among Us and Fortnite both jumped overnight after long slow starts, which Javier reads as proof that companies cancel games too early. He says to test bold changes, build games so they can be changed a lot, and relaunch shelved games since it costs little.
Pouring money into a game for years is the wrong move. If a game is killed, the next one should stay close to it, ideally the same genre and audience, so learnings, technology and assets get reused. "Before you kill games, try to do like radical changes in your games."
Offer a doomed game to two other teams before cancelling it. Javier suggests that when a team wants to cancel a game, two other teams should be asked whether they would take it on, and any team that wants it should get it.
Outsiders may bring radical ideas the original team cannot see. He has never tried it but thinks it could work alongside Supercell-style team ownership of cancel decisions.
2The colourblind symbols patch
Innersloth added symbols after colourblind players couldn't finish colour tasks. Players complained that colour-based tasks were impossible for colourblind players, so Innersloth patched in symbols that let them complete those tasks.
It is an example of adding accessibility after launch in response to player feedback rather than only at release.
3Similar examples from other apps
These are about other apps, not Among Us: examples from the same sources that help explain it.
Fortnite broke out by switching to battle royale, not by small gains. Fortnite ran for a while with unimpressive results, then made one massive change inside the game, becoming a battle royale, and its numbers snapped.
Javier pairs it with Among Us as the pattern of a slow game finding its market later.
How Among Us Became #1 Mobile Game
Spent about two years in obscurity before spiking suddenly around August 2020, helped by Twitch and YouTube streamers and lockdown demand for light social play. It is free on mobile and under five dollars on Steam.
Among Us sat unnoticed for two years, then spiked overnight. The game spent about two years in obscurity before daily charts showed a sudden spike around August 2020. Twitch and YouTube streamers brought it to life.
The rise was sudden, not a slow climb. A social, watchable format let it ride streaming attention once it caught on.
Lockdown created demand for light, low-stress games played with others. After months of lockdown spent on demanding titles, players wanted something restful that still let them interact. Among Us needs no skill or practice and lets people play with friends they can't meet in person.
Javier Barnes tracks Reddit gamer groups to read the market mood and saw players had been playing hardcore games more than ever. He calls the category "light headed" social games. "You don't need to be good at it to get fun and to perform."
A free or very cheap price opens the game to a casual audience. Among Us is free on mobile and costs under five dollars on Steam.
Javier argues price and distribution reach decide how big a light social game can get.
Try a radical change or a relaunch before killing a game. Among Us and Fortnite both jumped overnight after long slow starts, which Javier reads as proof that companies cancel games too early. He says to test bold changes, build games so they can be changed a lot, and relaunch shelved games since it costs little.
Pouring money into a game for years is the wrong move. If a game is killed, the next one should stay close to it, ideally the same genre and audience, so learnings, technology and assets get reused. "Before you kill games, try to do like radical changes in your games."
Offer a doomed game to two other teams before cancelling it. Javier suggests that when a team wants to cancel a game, two other teams should be asked whether they would take it on, and any team that wants it should get it.
Outsiders may bring radical ideas the original team cannot see. He has never tried it but thinks it could work alongside Supercell-style team ownership of cancel decisions.
Fortnite broke out by switching to battle royale, not by small gains. Fortnite ran for a while with unimpressive results, then made one massive change inside the game, becoming a battle royale, and its numbers snapped.
Javier pairs it with Among Us as the pattern of a slow game finding its market later.
How Accessible Were 2020's Biggest Games?
Innersloth patched in symbols after players complained that colour-based tasks were impossible for colourblind players.
Innersloth added symbols after colourblind players couldn't finish colour tasks. Players complained that colour-based tasks were impossible for colourblind players, so Innersloth patched in symbols that let them complete those tasks.
It is an example of adding accessibility after launch in response to player feedback rather than only at release.
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