The player count for indie social deduction game Among Us jumped into the millions after a giveaway on the Epic Games Store. The game is already very popular, typically boasting around 500k players at its busiest. However, going free for a limited time made the number of crewmates and Impostors online soar, especially on PC.
Among Us was one of 2020's biggest games, despite originally being released in 2018. The sudden spike in interest could be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Players and streamers began searching for new multiplayer experiences, which led them to Innersloth's title. The word spread, and thanks to a cheap price point and cross-platform play, the game quickly rose in popularity. The daily player count has dropped since its peak in 2020, but the total is still impressive.
Among Us is free on the Epic Games Store until June 3rd as part of the Epic MEGA Sale. Victoria Tran, Community Director for the title, posted a graph on Twitter showcasing the spike in players. The graph only shows players on the PC version of the game. As the data shows, there's typically a rise in players over the weekend. However, after Among Us went free, there was a massive jump. The player count nearly quadrupled over the course of two days, rising from the typical 500k to almost 2 million.
Tran does note that there are other, outside factors. The price drop coincided with Memorial Day weekend, typically a long weekend for most Americans. There's also the possibility of players on another system trying it on PC for the first time. Older players might have also returned due to the influx of newcomers. It is also worth repeating that this is exclusively about the PC version; there is no publicly available data for how the mobile or Switch versions performed over the same weekend.
Regardless, the sudden boost in players is nothing but positive. More players naturally means more revenue, something any company strives for. But beyond that, it shows how, even a year later, Among Us has a foothold in popular culture. It may not be as popular as it was last year, and it's unlikely that it will reach that level ever again. The fanbase remains committed and continues to grow. It may not be growing in the most organic of fashions, but that's the nature of giveaways. Even if only a fraction of the new players stays on, it still means there is a grand future ahead for this humble game.
Among Us is available for mobile, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
Source: Victoria Tran/Twitter
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