Among Us Business Model: How Does Among Us Generate Revenue
While the game was released in 2018, it did not gain such popularity until the middle of 2020. The company's success can be attributed to its straightforward yet effective business model. Here is an overview of what the game is like before we delve into its business model!
What Is Among Us?
Among us is a murder-mystery video game set in space that was released by Innersloth on June 15, 2018. The essence of this popular four-to-ten-player game is teamwork, mystery-solving, and deception.
In its first year, the game reached a peak of 1,800 concurrent users, which was sufficient to temporarily bring their servers down. They did not ascend Steam, iOS, and Google play store charts until much later.
It was inspired by the game Mafia and the science fiction horror film The Thing, in which individuals work as a team to apprehend a "traitor."
Among the primary reasons for the game's meteoric rise in popularity is the abundance of Among Us-related online content streams. The initial expansion of Among Us was primarily fueled by South Korean and Brazilian content creators. In July 2020, the streamer Sodapoppin popularized the game on Twitch, and no one could have predicted that the game would amass 264 million downloads worldwide by the end of the year. Similar to Zoom, its popularity exploded during the pandemic.
So How Does Among Us Work?
Each round has one to three randomly chosen imposters. The other players are fellow crew members who have been given a variety of jobs to do, including downloading data and mending wires, among others. The imposters' goal is to blend in with the crew members and act as though they are performing a fictitious list of activities while looking for any clandestine opportunities to instantly kill the crew members. They have the ability to go through vents, damage critical systems, and collaborate with other imposters to murder the crew members. The maps can also be customized, ranging from the most recent "Airship" map to the spacecraft "Skeld" to the headquarters building "MIRA HQ."
Who Are The Customers Of Among Us?
A normal game of Among Us lasts longer, lasting roughly fifteen to twenty minutes, as opposed to Candy Crush and other short-duration hyper casual games that only last for two to three minutes. This makes the game immersive because players must become immersed in it while conversing with their friends concurrently. Generation Z is the best target demographic because they have the most free time.
What Benefits Does Among Us Offer?
While playing the game, players have the opportunity to socialize with strangers they may run across on Discord or other platforms in addition to their friends and familiar faces. The game is played by four to ten people, which starts a domino effect that finally results in a network effect. People were able to socialize despite being socially isolated throughout the pandemic. It also gives folks a fun method to kill time and engage in friendly competition. Additionally, the human aspect introduces in-game tactics, an element of psychological manipulation, and clever trickery.
Among Us Revenue Model
Because of its successful business concept, Among Us has generated revenue while being a free game. Among the several sources of income are:
Revenue From PC Downloads
The PC version of the game is accessible through Steam, which has a $5 one-time purchase fee, even if the mobile versions of the game are free. Despite only 3% of their player base being PC users, Innersloth's earnings from August to November in 2020 benefited greatly from the $5 upfront purchase. All of the premium cosmetics, which are extra in the mobile version, are unlocked by purchasing the PC version.
Revenue From The Mobile Versions
The game's mobile adaptation uses a freemium business model. In spite of the fact that the game is free, the following sources of income are used:
Advertisements
After each game is finished, advertisements appear on the players' screens. Among Us employs Admob and other ad partners, among many other methods, to monetize its user base. They are paid by advertisers on a pay-per-click or per-viewer basis. The timers that we observe are set to make sure that the advertisement is shown to users for the right amount of time. It is simple for Among Us to produce substantial sums of revenue due to the millions of active consumers.
In-App purchases
Among Us gives customers the option to disable commercials and customize their characters by adding pets, one-of-a-kind outfits, and skin tones that aren't generally available to mobile users. If a player buys the game on Steam, they automatically gain access to these costume customizations. Additionally, it encourages people to buy the pricey PC version. Additionally, users and the business benefit equally from the option to reject adverts.
Merchandise
Another significant source of income for Innersloth comes from the sale of goods like plush toys and t-shirts featuring game-related characters. The product was so well-liked that it was completely sold out in a matter of weeks.
However, not all of the 50 million money made make it to Innersloth. They must pay numerous expenses, such as those related to the platforms the game is accessible on. In addition to paying the Google Play Store, iOS Play Store, and Steam, Innersloth must navigate the tax regulations of numerous nations around the world in order to pay taxes on the money they earn. After paying the developers, they must additionally keep a sizeable sum of money for tax purposes and to create a fund that they can utilize to continue the game's development.
You want to get more information about Business Models and more? Subscribe for Premium and get access to 160+ analysis!
Back to overview