The wildly popular online game Among Us has managed to become successful despite only being available on PC, Android, and iOS. But why is it that a game that is in such high demand isn't available on consoles?
Among Us is an online game in the vein of such party favorites as Werewolf or Mafia. Players must complete various assigned tasks to repair their derelict ship, but one party member is randomly designated the Impostor. The Impostor is secretly trying to kill the other players without getting caught. At any time, players of Among Us can call a meeting to level accusations and vote out the player they believe is the Impostor.
It is this last element of the game, where players discuss who has been behaving suspiciously, that has caused Among Us to be an impractical fit for consoles. There are two ways for discussions to happen: the in-game text chat, or out-of-game voice chat. Text chat is not viable for consoles, as the vast majority of gamers likely don't have a keyboard attached to the console for quick communication. That leaves voice chat, a feature not currently supported in-game. Instead, players must use a third-party service like Discord to talk amongst their friends while playing Among Us. For those playing with a group of randomly assigned strangers, InnerSloth does have a dedicated Discord server where players can jump into an assigned voice chat room. All of this happens outside the game, however, making voice chat a more cumbersome process on a console.
Does Among Us Actually Need a Console Port?
At the end of the day, however, it doesn't seem like Among Us is the kind of game that really needs a console port. With Among Us cross-play available between Android and iOS, almost anyone with a smartphone can play the game with their friends. A console port of Among Us would likely require some kind of integration with each system's voice chat system, a function that would limit the ability of the game to have cross-play between consoles. One of the things that currently makes Among Us a great game to play with friends is that everyone can play together regardless of what device they have. Any device added to the Among Us pool that doesn't support cross-play would be a step backwards.
The lack of a console port hasn't stopped Among Us from being an internet sensation. Among Us has generated memes, comic strips, and fan art, all for a game that has minimal plot at best. It's a game that allows players to connect with friends they can't currently see in person, and it allows cross-play without any kind of fuss. Not having a console port might be unusual, but given the importance of communication in Among Us, perhaps that's for the best.
Among Us is currently available on PC, iOS and Android.