The who is arguably the most uninteresting aspect possible in the total snippet that we’re discussing here, but it offers context as to precisely how accurate we could presume that these numbers are.
SuperDataResearch, or SuperData, is a Nielsen company (the very same from television) that conducts research on what consumers are readily gobbling up, and have been in the industry of consumer research for decades. SuperData, specifically, focuses on games: built with industry veterans that have ‘proprietary data partnerships’ with retailers and publishers allows them to offer insights into the industry ranging at prices of over $2,000 to free.
SuperData’s latest report states that the suddenly very popular game Among Us (a title that was frankly languishing in obscurity prior to a few streamers hopping into it) is now the most popular game in the world, ever, in terms of monthly active player base.
In November alone, Among Us reached a mind-blowing half-billion players online, suspecting each other and doing their tasks with only the occasional knife in the back.
The player base is split across mobile devices as well as PC players (and Nintendo Switch, recently), although the console brethren are going to be joining the dastardly schemes rather soon, as Among Us is slated to finally hit consoles in 2021; some speculation regarding precisely how well this will play out with communication offering a seemingly monumental mountain to climb, or otherwise circumnavigate.
SuperData notes that while the title is enjoying previously unseen levels of popularity, the lack of price-gouging and nickel and diming of users means that there aren’t monumental earnings coming for InnerSloth. That a developer brought out a game, and actively decided against nickel-and-diming users even after a massive burst in popularity, still has many businesses scratching their heads.
It seems as though low entry costs, somehow, means that more people can play. Puzzling. It also seems as though not forcing your users to pay additional fees for every variable included, or cutting out content to then sell as ‘post-launch DLC’ somehow makes users more comfortable with your company. Absolutely bizarre.
While the title is now enjoying popularity to an extreme frankly never seen before, this isn’t intended to read as though there aren’t issues with the title, and these issues continue to stretch beyond the obscene player count.
Lobbies that finally do fill instantly empty upon starting, as people only want to play as the imposter; playing as a crewmate is seen as ‘unfun’ as they roam around and do tasks.
Lobbies can be difficult to find, making hosts wait for ages for the lobby to eventually fill. Only to result in issue number one.
There are ways to circumvent this: using a Discord channel to offer chat or control the population from being min-maxers or only willing to play as an imposter can cut down on a bit of the banality, although building those communities can be a frustrating endeavor. A popular mod introduced that brings proximity voice chat that frankly escalates the game even further: you’ll need to have everyone on the same page, however, regarding mod installation and lobby.
From what we’re seeing here, it’s becoming apparent that the Among Us train is still continuing to pick up steam, and it won’t be stopping anytime soon. As long as players don’t become frustrated with a few glaring problems that plague the title.
