Few games grow to be as big a viral success asAmong Ushas, especially in so short a time. Not only has the social deduction game been played by millions, but its name has become a pop-culture staple. The phrase “among us” is now indelibly associated with the game. ForAmong Usplayers and internet denizens, it’s all fun and games. But forAmong Usdeveloper Innnersloth, a lot has happened very quickly. The devs, now taking a moment to breath, admit the situation has been “overwhelming.”
In an interview with YouTuber AnthonyPadilla, Innersloth artist Amy Liu shared some behind-the-scenes details regardingAmong Us' ongoing development. She also shared how exhausting its been to support a game going viral, saying that she’s “definitely burnt out” due to the crunch the situation demanded. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic left Liu unable to see friends and family. She describes spending holidays alone, tired from working, as the “hardest time.”
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Among Uswas a true indie project when it first went viral. It was launched on PC and mobile devices and the developers had already shifted focus toAmong Us 2.Among Us' viral popularity changed everything. It wasn’t just that Innersloth had millions of fans asking for moreAmong Uscontent, but also major publishers including PlayStation and Xbox pushing for ports as soon as possible.Among Us 2was canceledand ports became a priority.
Innersloth programmer Forest Willard added some characterization for thesituation Innersloth found itself in, explaining how much pressure it is to have “hundreds of millions of [players' worth] of pressure.” Pressure from people who want things done as quickly as possible, not seeing the small dev team behind the game struggling to get things finished. Willard described it as “overwhelming.”
It wasn’t just the pressure or the crunch, however.Designer Marcus Bromanderdescribed how negative comments online also got to him. There was a time where Bromander says everything reached a peak and he said to himself, “I don’t want to work on this anymore. I’m done.” Bromander is still with Innersloth, of course, which goes to show the passion and dedication of the team even amid some of the most challenging conditions a small team can experience.
SinceAmong Us' popularity spiked, Innersloth has intentionally chosen to remain a small studio.Among Uswas made by the original trio of Liu, Willard, and Bromander. The team has more than doubled in size since, but, as of last count, remains a team of less than ten. Despite its small size, Innersloth has consistently released patches, fixes, and updates forAmong Us. That includes the recent patch thatadded 15-player lobbies, and ports for PlayStation and Xbox in 2021, too.
Among Usis available now on PC, Switch, and mobile devices, with PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X versions also in development.
