Among Us, the incredibly popular online game from developer InnerSloth, hit a massive 3 million concurrent player count this weekend. The nearly two-year-old game, which has players attempt to repair a spaceship while being hunted by an alien shapeshifter, recently exploded in popularity. With the coronavirus pandemic forcing people to physically distance themselves, the game has been a perfect mix of multiplayer cooperation and competition.
When it released back in 2018, Among Us went mostly unnoticed by gamers, but developer InnerSloth continued to support the game through frequent updates and patches. Among Us was eventually rediscovered during the coronavirus pandemic, when there was a surge of online multiplayer gaming, and the game has since drawn in millions of players. It even managed to surpass PUBG with 400,000 concurrent players, a massive feat for a two-year-old game. While the developer initially planned on moving on to a sequel, InnerSloth has instead decided to cancel Among Us 2 and implement all planned improvements and additional content into the original game.
InnerSloth's commitment to Among Us has now paid off, because according to InnerSloth, the game recently hit a milestone of 3 million concurrent players. One of the game's developers, Forest W., also specified on Twitter that the game had hit 3.8 million players, all playing at the same time, across both mobile and PC editions of the game. In addition to this milestone, Forest W. also confirmed that Among Us has hit more than 100 million downloads and 60 million daily active players.
With the huge surge in popularity of Among Us and InnerSloth's commitment to supporting the game, these massive numbers are likely to increase in the future. Among Us is currently only available on PC and mobile devices, with crossplay allowing gamers on any platform to play together, but the possibility of bringing the game to consoles has been discussed by the development team. Customizing a character is also a major feature in the game, allowing each player to express themselves during gameplay, and this system should also grant the game longevity. Adding new outfits and items for character customization, along with new maps and game modes, could keep the game feeling fresh for a long time.
Hitting 3 million concurrent players is a massive achievement, especially for an independent game developed by only three people. The coronavirus pandemic brought back the demand for fun and unique multiplayer online games, such as Among Us and Fall Guys, which allow gamers to interact while remaining physically distant. InnerSloth's decision to continue supporting Among Us is also very wise, as it will allow the player base to continue growing without splitting fans between two games.
Among Us is available now on PC and mobile devices.
Source: Innersloth/Twitter, Forest W./Twitter