How community engagement saved Among Us
Among Us was very nearly a forgotten and obscure game, that was only saved thanks to its developers remaining dedicated to their community.
For years, Among Us was an obscure and mostly unknown game that struggled to break 1,000 concurrent players. However, thanks to Innersloth’s dedication to the game and its initially small playerbase, Among Us was able to preserve a small following until its eventual discovery in late 2020.
Among Us releases to a small crowd
When Among Us initially released in 2018 on Steam, SteamCharts measured its 2018 peak player count at just 19 players. This small handful of players on Steam, plus whoever chose to play on a mobile device, made up the entire Among Us community during its first few months. Under normal circumstances, that would seem like a signal that it was time to attempt a new project and see what else the Innersloth team could do.
For whatever reason, the Among Us development team decided to stick with the game, and Among Us received updates and new content periodically, despite having a modest community. These updates focused on certain issues that the game had, and they even responded to community feedback.
Innersloth continues development of Among Us
On December 1st of 2018, a time when Steam Charts measured the game’s average player count at just 2.6 players, Innersloth updated the game to add in holiday themed hats and addressed the issue of players calling the emergency button too early in the game, alongside a host of bug fixes.
During 2019, the year following the game’s release, Innersloth added two new maps to the game, MIRA HQ and Polus. At this time, Among Us peaked at just 676 players on Steam, with an average around a third of that.
Individually, these might seem like small additions to the game, but by working on the game for years after its release, improving the overall feeling of playing it, and adding in more and more content, they effectively gave Among Us a degree of polish and depth not typically associated with micro-budget games.
In a way, Innersloth has been working on Among Us for the last two years the same way they might have, had the game had the kind of monumental success it is currently known for, albeit with less resources.
By listening to their community, addressing their issues, and giving them more and more regardless of the situation, Innersloth has shown a degree of integrity vital for instilling confidence in the game. Even now, post-discovery, Innersloth has continued their plans for Among Us, and are working on a fourth map for the game.
Even though Among Us is free on mobile platforms, on Steam, it is arguably one of the best games available for under $5.00, a modest sum for a game that has offered hours and hours of good fun.