Hide and Seek has been an unofficial game mode in Among Us for several months. After the game became a huge hit in 2020, some players were looking to spice up the experience, and one way to do this was by "creating" a new method of playing called Hide and Seek, probably the most popular player-made mode. The mode was popular enough that it resulted in the recent announcement that InnerSloth will make it an official part of Among Us.
However, Among Us' popularity among some big Twitch streamers and its audience has partially died off, much like most games do after the initial hype dies down a bit. For example, the OfflineTV crew and its friends such as Corpse Husband, Valkyrae, and Jacksepticeye became largely known for their Among Us sessions together. Facebook Gaming's Disguised Toast became known as the "Among Us guy," according to Valkyrae. However, the group recently held its final Among Us stream, at least for the time being, showing the big reason why many players have moved away from the game.
Now that Among Us' developers over at InnerSloth have announced that Hide and Seek will be added as an official game mode, is it enough to bring the hype back to 2020's unexpected hit, or will it continue to see a slow decline of players like most video games do?
What is the Among Us Hide and Seek Mode?
There's no release date for the new game mode as of yet, so players can continue to play the unofficial Hide and Seek simply by announcing who the Imposter is at the start of a game. Players can do so either by initiating an emergency meeting if playing with strangers, or verbally if playing with friends.
From there, rules can be customized however the players would prefer, much like regular Among Us sessions. The Imposter will count down from a number to give the Crewmates a chance to hide. Kill cooldowns are traditionally short so Imposters can kill others immediately upon finding and catching them. Kills aren't reported, as everyone already knows who the Imposter is, but Crewmates must still complete all tasks before the Imposter catches everyone.
In this game mode, Seekers are also typically given a small radius to see players immediately close to them, as if the lights were turned off, to make it harder on Imposters. It's expected that the official Hide and Seek mode will be along these same lines with options to customize the experience.
Why Many Gamers and Creators Have Stopped Playing Among Us
Some time ago, Disguised Toast explained why Among Us was starting to grow old with the group. After several months of playing, there are only so many different lying tactics players can come up with, and only so many ways to strategize before they start to expect the same old tricks from their friends. This resulted in Toast being no longer "excited" by the game, he explained previously. At the time, he mentioned special roles, which often come with mods, may revive the experience once again. Now, InnerSloth has taken his advice, but Toast is still skeptical that it will be enough to bring the hype back around: "I can't think of anything new anymore."
Then there's the issue of public lobbies. All too often when playing with strangers, one player will accuse another of being an Imposter with no evidence, resulting in their immediate ejection, and it gets old. Additionally, many people will leave games after finding out they aren't the Imposter. Still, Hide and Seek solves the issues that stem from redundant scenarios and griefing. It's possible that Among Us may continue to be a social hit among friend groups, allowing players to choose what type of mode they prefer rather than having only the one available officially.
Among Us is available now for PC, mobile, and Switch. PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S versions are in development.