How 'Among Us' Nearly Died Before It Made Millions

In this episode of ‘Visionaries,’ award-winning journalist Jacob Wolf talks with Marcus Bromander, co-founder of Innersloth and co-creator of the highly popular multiplayer game Among Us. 

The two discuss how this indie game unexpectedly gained immense popularity just weeks before its creators contemplated ending its development.

Read more about this episode of ‘Visionaries’ here below.

The conversation begins with Bromander discussing Innersloth's ongoing projects and how Among Us garnered significant attention on platforms like Twitch and TikTok. Bromander explains how the evolution of Among Us from its initial release in 2018 to its present status as a cultural phenomenon

Bromander explains how the evolution of Among Us from its initial release in 2018 to its present status as a cultural phenomenon saved the game and dispelled any doubts of potential failure.

"We were basically done with it at the start of 2019,” Bromander said. “We had put out our third map. We had done enough bug fixes that the game functioned. We were like, 'alright, that's it.'

“[Innersloth co-founder] Forest [Willard] and [artist] Amy [Liu] started prototyping other game ideas that got decently far along, but when Among Us took off again, we were like what do we do? We should ride the wave."

This episode of ‘Visionaries’ delves deeper into how the financial success of Among Us impacted the game’s team. Bromander sheds light on whether Innersloth entertained acquisition offers and provides an unique glimpse into the company's forthcoming game plans. Bromander openly shares his journey from solo game development on platforms like Newgrounds to co-founding Innersloth. Alongside, he imparts valuable insights gleaned from Among Us regarding influencer marketing and the challenges of transitioning from individual game creation to managing a full-fledged business.

But the implications of creating a follow-up game after the monumental success of Among Us are just some of Marcus's personal reflections on the game's significance.

(A full transcript of the episode will be available soon on this page.)

You can listen to this episode of ‘Visionaries’ and many more on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your podcasts.