Among Us is still loved, but it has lost some popularity, meaning it’s time for Innersloth to make a creative Among Us 2.
Among Us has come a long way over the past few years. Released in 2018, this game by Innersloth didn’t resonate at first, and the developer even mentioned that they abandoned most of Among Us shortly after launch. However, in 2020, with the help of Twitch streamers and YouTubers, popularity has exploded for this colorful secret traitor game. Among Us has proven to be a great multiplayer title in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that surge in popularity, Innersloth has scrapped plans to make a sequel to Among Us, instead focusing its energies on large-scale updates to the first game.
Among Us has already reaped significant benefits from this change, gaining new roles, maps, and progression systems for fans to enjoy. However, Among Us’ popularity has dwindled since its peak. The constant updates have been welcomed by fans, but so far they have largely failed to make Among Us the sensational title it once was. For this IP to recover to its former peak of excitement it might take a proper Among Us sequel that actually reinvents the game.
The way forward for Among Us
The streamers and YouTubers that make up the face of Among Us have largely moved to more fertile ground. Some entertainers like Disguised Toast still occasionally post Among Us content, but for the most part have either continued to focus on their casual games or returned to varied schedules. At the same time, the number of players Among Us has also decreased significantly. While the drop in popularity may be related to streamers leaving the game, Innersloth’s rather slow update release schedule could also contribute to this decline. Among Us is slow to change, which means it’s hard to stay fresh.
The slow and small updates are understandable given that Innersloth is a very small team, but not only that but these updates are clearly not enough to maintain the dominance of Among Us. The best way forward is probably to completely reinvent the franchise with a proper sequel. Innersloth could take the steady state of Among Us as an opportunity to keep the first game alive while restarting the work of Among Us 2. If they use their new fame and fortune to expand their mastery With its development team or in partnership with other studios, Innersloth can continue to provide updates while developing the sequel.
The sequel could be the key to bringing Among Us back to life as it will be an opportunity for IP to reinvent itself. Updates have slowly changed the first game, but in the end Among Us is still the same game as before, except for new maps and other content inspired by mods. Among Us 2 could garner renewed interest with completely different maps, main quest rework, new inference mechanics, and any number of other new features. Innersloth doesn’t necessarily force fans to relearn everything the same from the first game in the second game, so they can keep the first Among Us while releasing a sequel with a different gameplay . New mechanics in a new game might be what IP needs.
Admittedly, we still have hope that in the next few months Among Us will be able to return to the top without the need for part 2. Among Us VR is still on the way and although it is unclear what the VR version will offer. how much content it provides, but it can be a worthwhile change in speed for IP. However, if Among Us VR doesn’t prove to be the second wind the franchise needs, it may be time for Innersloth to return to the idea of a sequel. Regardless of how Innersloth approaches sequel development, it seems increasingly clear that Among Us may need a sequel soon.
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