Hackers know no bounds when it comes to ruining the fun for others while playing games, and not even Among Us' sudden spike in popularity has attracted hordes of nasty hackers that are ruining the game for everyone. Other games give players incentives for winning such as bonus experience or exclusive items, but hackers in Among Us aren't rewarded with anything other than the twisted satisfaction of ruining everyone else's day.
There have been a number of notable hacking stories to come from gaming in 2020. GTA V saw its own fair share of hackers towards the beginning of this year followed by game-ruining cheaters in Call of Duty: Warzone. Recently, another hit indie release, Fall Guys, released an entire update dedicated to stopping hackers from ruining its beloved party game. While it's still a repulsive notion to cheat in a party game like Fall Guys, it makes sense for less skilled players to turn to heinous practices so that they can "earn" crowns to purchase prestigious costumes. However, hackers in Among Us gain virtually nothing except for the hate and loathing of fellow players.
On Twitter, users are sharing hundreds of unique video clips of players whose games have been ruined by hackers. Hacks come in a variety of forms such as sped-up movements, instantly killing entire lobbies, and ending voting periods with the press of a button. Twitter user Poco_BrawlStars posted a video of himself using hacks in Among Us with a lobby of friends in on the experiment to demonstrate what hackers are capable of. In an interview with Kotaku, InnerSloth's Forest Willard stated, "We’re rushing to get an account system in place so we can have better moderation and reporting systems built around that. Also getting help with making the servers better at detecting and blocking hacks."
Until account systems are put in place, hackers have the freedom to run rampant among Among Us' huge playerbase. With a tiny team of three developers, InnerSloth is rushing to fix this problem as quickly as possible. Luckily, Among Us has skyrocketed in popularity due to its unique social deduction elements, which are best utilized among friends. Hackers are mainly found in public lobbies where their identities remain anonymous.
This hacking fiasco likely won't be the downfall of Among Us. Streamers play in large groups of people who are also streaming their points of view, and these events of comradery are what have made Among Us such a huge success. Until the hacking situation had been dealt with, it is better to play with groups of people in private lobbies rather than public matches. Hopefully, InnerSloth will find a solution to Among Us hacking soon.
Sources: Poco_BrawlStars, Kotaku