How the Among Us community has helped keep the game alive
Among Us is currently enduring a slight slump in activity. The Among Us community that kept the game going for two years after its release is keeping it going now, though the methods have changed.
It's fair to say that Among Us can never return to the days of total obscurity when the Among Us community kept it alive.
The Among Us community has grown
Back in 2018, Among Us was released with little to no media attention. Though the game was simple and small, it had a unique idea that drew players in and made them rethink how they engaged with the game and its other players.
Its player count was small but Among Us had a certain degree of magnetism in its design that kept players coming back.
A core group of dedicated players, often numbering in the hundreds, were able to keep the game alive and operational. Innersloth, for their part, dedicated years of development time to Among Us. The game had only exhibited a fraction of its potential.
Though small and underappreciated, this core group of players was enough to keep Innersloth interested in developing and releasing new content to the game.
Among Us has its moment to shine
Among Us steadily grew and drew in new players over the years. However, it wasn’t until its discovery by the internet at large that Among Us was able to sweep the world by storm.
This is the part of the Among Us story that most people are familiar with. Around September 2020, Among Us content could be found in almost every corner of the internet. It even found its way into schools and other strange places.
Nothing lasts forever, though. As content releases slowed, Among Us players began leaving to find new things to enjoy. What remains now are those players most dedicated to the game, occasionally boosted by infrequent returning players.
Among Us seems to be settling back into another normal online game, played mostly by a large core audience.
Among Us, community can do much more than play
The Among Us community is now much larger and features plenty of talented developers in its own right. These players can now do much more than simply keep the game alive. Many players are creating the content they want to see rather than waiting for someone else to do it.
This can range from the various designs for merchandise, fan art, fan videos to the more direct creation of playable content for the game. The added attention has drawn in a modest but talented modding community.
Modders have been hard at work experimenting with unique design strategies. They're implementing new features and game modes on their own terms.
In a way, the Among Us community has democratized the development of the game. The community is now partly responsible for creating the kind of content they want to enjoy.
Innersloth will always remain the official developers behind Among Us. It is well within its rights to do with it as it pleases.
It might take a while for Among Us to retake the public sphere like it did last year. With so many brilliant minds working together, though, it’s almost guaranteed that something new will come out eventually.