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Uhm... so... this is not cool. https://twitter.com/ParallaxStella/status/1339003193368346626
Lots of replies of the same kind so I’ll just reply here instead of to every single person.
Yes, this came from creative mode but for me this only changes the dynamic slightly. Yes, similar game concepts to Among Us existed before. Let me explain why this is different.
Yes, this came from creative mode but for me this only changes the dynamic slightly. Yes, similar game concepts to Among Us existed before. Let me explain why this is different.
First off: Yes it absolutely matters that a billion dollar financially gigantic franchise uses concepts from the indie gaming space because it’s unethical.
This is not the same as Among Us being similar to the Werewolf tabletop game - there are good reasons for AU to exist.
This is not the same as Among Us being similar to the Werewolf tabletop game - there are good reasons for AU to exist.
A digital version of the imposter gameplay (which has been done in other games before) that pulls it off well has every right to exist alongside tabletop games, especially since it’s thematically different enough. That’s like saying RPGs with underlying DnD logic are riffs.
For folks saying PUBG riffed off Hunger Games - this doesn’t work as an argument for me. One is a movie and the game shares no characters, no similarities in story, no story justification with the movie - it only uses a loosely connected concept, which is not that original.
The point as to why all of this matters is that there are ethical implications of a very very rich and powerful company playing on the popularity of indie games with much smaller budget and marketing punch. That dynamic is why it matters, not the details of the concept.
I find it upsetting that folks justify all this by throwing their arms in the air saying “whatever, everything is a ripoff of everything anyways!”
The point is not similarities in genre or gameplay - the point is power dynamic.
The point is not similarities in genre or gameplay - the point is power dynamic.
