Among Us has grown exponentially since its original release. While the game debuted in the summer of 2018, Among Us received a second wind during the global COVID-19 pandemic. As many people turned to video games and digital media as a way to connect with others and stay entertained in uncertain times, Among Us was able to build a huge community of fans almost overnight. Since then, the game has been able to maintain this popularity, and Among Us has built up around the features that fans love.
This growth looks to be bringing even more promising additions to the title, with the announcement that Among Us will be adding in different roles for players to select from. Alongside special console editions of Among Us that are on the way, the game’s next major update and end-of-the-year content could herald it into an incredibly prosperous 2022. While many of the details are still shrouded in mystery, the idea of players being treated to new roles in Among Us points towards a future that supports more gameplay options and player creativity.
Among Us' Future
Leading the charge on what players will be able to do in Among Us’ near future is the new Shapeshifter role for imposters. The antagonist of Among Us matches has captivated Twitch audiences and pitted friend groups against one another in the past, but the Shapeshifter is a promising way to breathe new life into the game. While Among Us’ second wind will likely come with its console release, having new features will also be major for the game’s renewed success.
Since a lot of players have already been able to enjoy Among Us, there might not be too many people who are interested in the game that still need to purchase it, outside of those who may be holding out for the Among Us Collector's Editions. While being able to play on Xbox and PlayStation consoles could be a quality-of-life change for mobile players, the icing on the cake will likely be the inclusion of the new roles. It gives players a way to change how their Among Us lobbies are played and will likely coincide closely with the game’s console release.
These two aspects working in unison could lead to whole new ideas around how Among Us can be enjoyed. Fans that might have only experienced Among Us on their phones will soon have the ability, and motivation, to purchase the game on console even if Among Us' console version is coming later than expected. Still, this could change their experience for the better and allow mobile players to find new joy in trying to deceive their friends and use Among Us’ new roles to their advantage.
The ShapeShifter
The Shapeshifter itself is a pretty straightforward role, but does bring an extra element to the game. With adjustments to the probability of an Impostor having the ability available, Among Us lobbies can decide on the likelihood of having to play against a Shapeshifter. While zero chance lobbies won’t have to worry about the Shapeshifter, as the probability gets higher, players will have to not only try and decide if their crewmates are lying, but if what they just saw in front of them is believable.
Complimenting this are the options to have Shapeshifter Impostors leave evidence, as well as setting the duration of the change. With this in mind, some lobbies could easily turn into The Thing-style nightmares, a horror classic from John Carpenter, or Impostors could become farcical as they whiff by mismanaging the duration of their Shapeshifter ability. These additional elements will likely help deliver an even more thrilling experience while also finding a balanced way to deliver new gameplay to Impostor players.
In contrast are the planned roles for crew members. While these haven’t been revealed yet, with the addition of the Shapeshifter role for Impostors, it's reasonable to think that crew members will be receiving some unique options themselves by the time Among Us' three collectors editions start rolling out. Whether this means the ability to see through a Shapeshifter’s disguise, or skills that allow certain tasks to be completed quicker, is something players will hopefully get a tease of before the next major update.
Among Us is available now on Android, iOS, PC, and Nintendo Switch. PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S versions release on December 14.