Super Smash Bros. Ultimatedirector Masahiro Sakurai recently published another column on the Japanese magazine Famitsu. This time he discusses the game that hasbroken records as one of the most popular games of all time,Among Us. Sakurai has a lot to say about the 2018 title that blew up in 2020, but chief among them is the idea that he is not quite sure if the game will remain popular for the long haul.
Among Usfound unparalleled success over the summer of 2020 on mobile and PC. Since then, the game launched on the Nintendo Switch in December, andAmong Ussold over 3 million copies in just a month on the Switch. Likely in hopes to promote that version, Sakurai playedAmong Usand talked about the unique social deception game.
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Because the article is written in Japanese, the piece was translated into English by Source Gaming on Youtube. For about the first half of the article, Sakurai digs deep into how the game works, almost as if he is explaining thegame design behind Steve inSuper Smash Bros Ultimateor any of the fighters in his game. In talking about this, Sakurai comes to the conclusion that there is no clear strategy when playingAmong Us.There is also not a lot of action. A lot of this is why he may be wondering if the lack of “game” within the game will mean thatAmong Usdoes not have the legs to last.
Sakurai notes that the game does allow for heart-pounding tension, often thanks to player interaction. It, of course, creates suspenseful and stressful situations, whetherplaying as the imposter inAmong Usor nearly surviving and trying to call a last-second emergency meeting. In this way, Sakurai says thatAmong Usreminds him of playing card games. Sakurai also notes thatAmong Usis not the easiest game to play as an honest person.
Sakurai ends the article by mentioning that theAmong Usis the type of game that is ruled by the community, and therefore, said community needs to be ultra-aware of the systems in place. Sakurai’s doubt in the long-term success of the game makes it unlikely that anAmong Usfighter finds its way intoSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, even if recently a fan made a mock-up video of it. Perhaps a spirit or Mii costume is more likely.
The explosion ofAmong Usis similar to that ofPokemon GOin 2016. Not only did fans of the monster-collecting game get off of the couch to roam the great outdoors, but all sorts of people were enjoying the mobile game. In many ways, that is whatAmong Usis as well. PerhapsAmong Uswill not have the sustained long-term franchise success ofSuper Smash Bros., but few games can. The good news is thatPokemon GOis still going strong. Although the title is far from what was considered mainstream popularity in 2016, many still play and enjoy it. So as long as InnerSloth continues to develop and supportAmong Us,and ride this 2020 wave of success, it could certainly be played for years to come.
Among Usis available on Mobile, PC, and Switch, with Xbox One and Xbox Series X versions coming in 2021.
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