‘Among Us’ comes to Switch: Learn everything from crossplay to price

Since people are still staying at home in various stages of quarantine around the world, the 2018 murder mystery game Among Us has quickly become a favorite pastime. It has become so popular that the game’s developer InnerSloth decided to cancel the release of a sequel in lieu of building upon the original, making the video game available on Nintendo Switch on December 15.

Nintendo announced Among Us for Switch during a special indie game-focused showcase reel which announced nineteen titles arriving on Switch in the coming months. The game will cost $5 on Nintendo Switch Online, PC games store Steam, and the indie game store Itch.io. It’s also free with ads across all platforms.

 Let’s take a closer look at what Among Us will be like in Nintendo’s hands.

Addictingly deceitful gameplay

In Among Us, ten players are randomly assigned the role of crewmate or impostor. Impostors set out to commandeer the spaceship without getting caught, murdering unsuspecting crewmates trying to complete their tasks. Crewmates must determine who is guilty of being an impostor, and get rid of them before they lose their majority.

While Among Us is based on other social deduction games, like Mafia, it’s very different from other social games like Fortnite. For instance, it is more akin to Monopoly or Werewolf, where players need to be able to gauge their opponent’s personalities and determine if they’re being lied to or not. Being able to play in groups only raises the energy, which is why crossplay is such a big deal on the Nintendo Switch.

Crossplay competition 

Famously, Among Us used to only be available on PC & mobile devices. Since the developers are embracing crossplay across platforms, its status as one of the breakout videogames of 2020 has been cemented. Although crossplay is now a tried-and-true staple of games that are free to play, it took years for the gaming world to catch on.

Not until recently have developers & console manufacturers opened themselves up to the idea of allowing players to play together on different devices. The ability to play a game regardless of what gaming console you may own drives monetization & engagement. When it comes to Among Us, that engagement involves a lot of accusations, deception, and denial – often to hilarious effect.  

Among Us will be playable on local Wi-Fi or online multiplayer. However, Nintendo Switch users may find themselves having trouble typing to their friends as opposed to typing on a smartphone or a computer. For example, a red player on Switch may be unable to type out their innocence – before faster typing players vote to eject them into space.  

Surprisingly weaponized

Despite whatever technical difficulties lie ahead for Switch users, typing excuses won’t be enough to protect players from the increased competitiveness of crossplay. Already, the excitement from deceiving one’s fellow players are being politicized. Advocacy organizations from both political parties have been streaming Among Us games on Twitch to engage young voters. 

On October 20, hundreds of thousands of people logged on to Twitch to watch Democratic congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez & Ilhan Omar play the game. Their playthroughs became one of the most-watched on the platform. If that is any indication, crossplay on Among Us is doing more than driving monetization.

Nineteen-year-old student activist Cameron Kasky believes playing free-to-play party games can be an effective tool for virtual organizing, stating: “Among Us is a great place to talk about really anything you want to get out there. You’ve got people’s eyes and attention and the game is not too complicated where it’d be distracting to talk about voting. It leaves the viewers visually engaged while you talk about whatever you want.”

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Will Nintendo Switch users feel that same sense of connection? Only time will tell. How do you think you or friends will fare during your next game? Let us know in the comments and happy playing!