This Is How To Resurrect A Dying Video Game

Recreating The Among Us Necromancy

Okay, so Among Us is a great game filled with fun for all the family (minus the murder and relationship-ending arguments). But why has it done so well now? What sparked life into this dead game and blasted it into the Steam stratosphere? Well, thanks to a few fateful factors, Among Us was successfully resurrected, and it couldn’t have timed its rediscovery better.

Of course, no one can ignore the leading world event that’s been keeping us indoors and glued to our screens: the pandemic. With more people stuck at home and working remotely, game companies have accidentally profited on the current world-climate.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out on 20 March, just as lockdown began. It provided an escape for many players: vacate to a tropical island and create a virtual paradise. Outside of single-player games, its never been easier to sync up your empty schedule with friends and viciously throw them into slime via Fall Guys or accuse them of acting sus over Zoom and Discord.

Yet the pandemic wasn’t the only inciting incident for Among Us’ success. Among Us’ revival owes its thanks to the golden age of streaming. No one can reliably pinpoint the exact streamer that kick-started the Among Us craze, although Sodapoppin has claimed bragging rights. No matter who started the trend, Among Us' monopoly on Twitch currently has launched the game into stardom.

On July 1, only 26 channels were streaming Among Us. Almost two months later, channels streaming the game peaked at 5,536 and a daily viewer count of 203,792. High-profile streams with PewDiePie, xQc, and even congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez exposed more people to Among Us’ addictive gameplay who subsequently wanted in on the action.

Who needs to sell a game anymore when the players can do it for you for free?