It has been an interesting road for Innersloth's Among Us. The social deduction game released in 2018 but flew under the radar until the COVID-19 pandemic hit its stride in 2020, leading streamers and friend groups to new avenues of staying connected. Among Us was a sensation for months, and while it has largely fallen out of the cultural zeitgeist, that burst of success led to its developer abandoning plans for a sequel in favor of new content.
That content being released for Among Us has taken different forms, from new maps to accessibility options. The major update released today is described as its biggest yet, featuring different roles not unlike contemporaries such as Werewolf, account linking, and unlockable achievements. However, arguably its biggest selling point is new cosmetics, many of which are available via a battle pass-like system of Cosmicubes. These Cosmicubes differ from a traditional battle pass model in distinct ways befitting the game's casual nature, so other titles could take notes.
How Among Us' Cosmicubes Work
Popular games that helped popularize battle passes such as Fortnite often work them in through distinct "seasons" of content. This seasonal content is typically themed in a way that ties its battle pass together; a system also rearing its head in indie games like Super Animal Royale and Deep Rock Galactic. Cohesive themes and storytelling was one chief reason why Ghost Ship Games decided to create a seasonal content model with its battle pass equivalent called the "Performance Pass," but Among Us seems less concerned with that.
Given Among Us is akin to a party game with shorter rounds all based around the same concept, it makes sense for Innersloth to focus on cosmetics over story. One way its Cosmicubes stand out is there isn't just one battle pass releasing every few months. Instead there are multiple cubes available right off the bat, some of which are activated using a premium paid currency called Stars, others activated using a resource obtained via normal gameplay called Beans.
Regardless of how a Cosmicube is purchased, they function in the same way. A branching tree of content is available in each cube, so players can pick and choose which direction they'd like to go using a resource called Pods - which are unique to each Cosmicube and only appear if playing the game with one active. The more someone plays the more XP they receive, with each level up providing a multiplier to the amount of Beans and Pods received. Innersloth also promises every cosmetic item is purely visual.
The Benefits of Among Us' Split Battle Passes
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The decision to split up paid and free cosmetic tracks as distinct cubes is smart because it circumvents one of the worst-feeling aspects of battle passes in general. Even games that allow players to return to a battle pass after its associated season is over, such as Super Animal Royale, tend to represent their battle passes as a progressive string of items that free-to-play fans can only access a portion of. This leads to a sense of pouring a lot of time in to get scraps, and develops a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) that could prey upon certain vulnerable populations.
That being said, there's nothing inherently wrong with a developer encouraging its fans to pay for additional content so it can fund that work - especially for smaller developers like Pixile Studios or Innersloth. The "Emergency Meeting" update post describing Among Us' Cosmicubes specifically says the paid tracks are meant to help keep servers running and fund future development considering the game is free on mobile and only $4.99 elsewhere.
Another benefit to Innersloth's approach is that it's open to expand. Multiple Cosmicubes are themed around different in-game maps like Mira and Polus, and the developer says currency can be stored to pay off "constantly releasing new items" - some of which will include partnerships, as seen when Among Us announced a crossover with Ratchet & Clank. Free Cosmicubes may get less exciting cosmetics in the long-run, but they're still a perfectly viable way for fans to customize themselves without paying if they aren't able.
More games should consider separate paid and free unlockable cosmetic tracks going forward, as it appears to be a much healthier solution than gating off large chunks of a singular pass. With Xbox and PlayStation versions still on the way, Among Us only has room to grow and possibly recapture its former glory from here.
Among Us is available now on Mobile, PC, and Switch, with PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S versions releasing December 14, 2021.
