If there was one game that really made its mark in 2020, it would have to be the indie smash hit that isAmong Us.The game broke through into the mainstreamin a way that few games do and, although it isn’t quite as popular as it was last year, it would be hard to find anyone who hasn’t played it at one point or another or heard of it at the very least.
The game showed so many people how fun hidden role-type games can be, especially when they’re so easily accessible and allow players to jump into games on their phones. Because of the hold thatAmong Ushad on so many people following its rise to fame two years after it initially came out, it’s likely that the games industry is going to see an influx in hidden role games in the next few years, and that’s a good reason for fans ofAmong Uswho’ve fallen off the game to be excited.
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The Staggering Popularity of Among Us
Among Uswasn’t the first hidden role game; in fact, it wasn’t even the first hidden role video game with titles likeTrouble In Terrorist Townpredating it by more than ten years. However, it was the first break into the mainstream thanks to a lot of lucky factors, but the game’s success can’t just be chalked up to luck.Among Uswas staggeringly popularthanks to just how fun it was to play with friends and family. Classroom games likeWerewolfandMafiaare a lot of fun, andAmong Us' studio InnerSloth was able to capitalize on that same style to make a majorly successful video game.
When something is as popular asAmong Us, however, there are likely to be copycats following soon after, and it’s for this reason that it seems like social deduction games are going to ramp up in frequency in the next several years. This isn’t to say that every hidden role game that’s going to come out is simply a shallow attempt to capitalize onthe trend thatAmong Usstarted, but that, somewhere down the line, other studios are beginning to realize just how fun hidden role games are.
The Incoming Among Us Imposters
It’s been just over a year sinceAmong Usblew up and games are already beginning to pop up that are using similar mechanics as the indie title. The most obvious example is thecontroversialFortniteImposters mode, which is essentially a one-to-one recreation ofAmong Uscoming soon toFortnite. Other studios, however, are putting their own spin on the genre with titles such asFirst Class Trouble,Werewolves Within, andSecret Neighbor,and, hopefully, they’ll propel the genre to new heights and innovate on the formula thatAmong Usset up in the gaming space.
There’s no telling where the hidden role genre of games will be headed in the next few years, but it seems likely that the genre has only just begun its time in the spotlight.WhileAmong Usis still popular, it’s certainly fallen out of the mainstream for the time being, but given its viral success, there’s plenty of room for another hidden role social deduction game to release to similar levels of success. AlthoughAmong Usdidn’t create the genre, it very well could have started its rise to mainstream popularity, to the point where it could be as successful and popular as other multiplayer genres like battle royales or hero-based shooters.
Among Usis available now on Android, iOS, PC, and Switch with PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S versions in development.
