The game that took the world by storm in 2020, Among Us defines a specific point in time for those who played it. The pandemic was in full swing, many families had to isolate, and Among Us, a free mobile game, was there to bring everyone together. A simple gameplay hook and a very high level of accessibility meant that even the most casual of gamers could pick up a tablet and play. Among Us was so popular, in fact, that it managed to take home the 2020 Game Awards for Best Mobile Game, and Best Multiplayer, beating out industry juggernauts like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Call of Duty: Warzone.
However, times have changed, and Among Us just isn’t as popular as it once was. While it’s still streamed on Twitch, it isn’t in the top 10 streamed games right now. Further, if Steam Charts are anything to go by, Among Us has dropped in popularity significantly over the last two years, going from an average of 176,453 in October 2020 to just 8,768 in December 2021. Still, Among Us developer InnerSloth has released a roadmap for 2022, and there’s one game mode listed that might bring fans back.
Explaining Among Us’ Hide ’n Seek Mode
While there hasn’t been much official news on Among Us’ upcoming “Hide ’n Seek” mode, a few key gameplay details are known. In this game mode, the Impostor takes the role of the “Seeker” and is tasked with finding all the other players on the map. Players are encouraged to use their surroundings and the color of their character to blend in to their environment.
The real unique gameplay element of the Hide ’n Seek mode is that the Seeker can only see directly in front of them/around them, as opposed to having a large radius of sight like in the standard game mode. This will add a chase aspect to the mode, where players will need to flee and lose the Seeker in the darkness if they’re caught.
Among Us’ Hide ’n Seek Mode Could Rival Gmod’s Prop Hunt
Garry’s Mod has always been one of Steam’s most popular games. Currently, Gmod is sitting at a 30-day average of 25,435 players on Steam Charts, and while it currently isn’t in Twitch’s top 10, it often is. Although Gmod has a vast selection of user-created game modes, missions, and maps, its “Prop Hunt” game mode has always been, and continues to be, one of its most popular.
Gmod’s Prop Hunt game mode sees the players having to hide as different objects around the map, and the seeker is tasked with finding and killing them. The real skill of the game is the player trying to blend themselves seamlessly into the environment they’re in as the object they’ve been given. The core hook is the inevitable chase that ensues once the prop has been found.
The similarities between Among Us’ Hide ’n Seek mode and Gmod’s Prop Hunt are pretty striking, but it’s unclear whether Among Us can capture Gmod’s consistent level of popularity. On paper, it would make sense that Among Us would be able to surpass Gmod and do so with ease, as Among Us has built a reputation and fan-base over the last two years that stretches across the globe, reaching even the most casual audiences. Put simply, Among Us is a name that everyone knows, while Gmod just doesn’t have the same general recognition.
That being said, the Among Us brand doesn’t carry the same weight as it did a year ago, and a lot of the more casual audience has moved on to other games or hobbies. Perhaps Among Us was simply the right game at the right time, and no matter how many updates, spin-offs, or new modes InnerSloth adds, the game just won’t be able to reach the same heights as it once did. While the Hide ’n Seek mode has the potential to bring some Among Us players back, it will be interesting to see how much of a draw it really is.
Among Us is available now for mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
