The game Among Us saw massive success this year. With an average of 100 players in January 2020 it started out slow, but September saw a sudden spike, shooting up to around 150,000 players.
While nobody can really know what caused the rise in players, one theory is the idea of someone with a big following found the game. The game comes from a small company, and without much advertising to help it, it had no way to spread out. However, if someone popular played it and showed it to their fanbase, it would be easy to spread quickly amongst others and gain new players.
“The first Among Us memes and videos had to have been posted by a fairly popular person on social media to get enough likes and shares to make the game popular,” Iliana Covarrubias, a fan, said.
There is also the idea that the pandemic could be contributing to the success of the game. Near the beginning of the pandemic there were other games that dominated in the gaming community, but as those died off, other games started to take the lead. Among Us could have been one of those games.
“It might not be a coincidence that Among Us became popular as games like Animal Crossing started to lose popularity,” Levi Westburg, a fan, said.
The gameplay itself can also be a big factor for its success. Many agree that both the gameplay and the art in the game create a very enjoyable experience while playing the game. The aspect of being able to interact with others and solve mysteries online may also help contribute to how liked it is amongst its players.
“I like getting to hang out with people and how even though you do the same thing every round, every time you play it’s a different experience,” Daisy Schoppe, a fan, said.
It’s still holding a high average, too. Now, Among Us has averaged close to 117,000 players during the month of November 2020.