The Illusion of Overnight Success | The Among Us Story with Forest Willard Co-Founder of Innersloth
a16zKey Moments
From small-town Oregon to global success: the unexpected journey of Among Us and Innersloth.
Key Insights
Innersloth's breakthrough game, Among Us, was initially a small project with low expectations, developed by co-founders Forest Willard and Marcus Bromander.
Willard's early passion for programming, influenced by his tech-savvy parents, laid the foundation for his game development career.
The success of Among Us was a slow burn, gaining traction through streamers and a pandemic-fueled need for social connection, long after its initial release.
Innersloth prioritizes a "gameplay first" approach and a fun, collaborative team environment to maintain its indie spirit despite massive growth.
The company's philosophy emphasizes starting small, iterative development, and understanding "net fun" to create engaging player experiences.
Innersloth is expanding beyond Among Us with new game projects and an animated TV series, while remaining committed to its indie roots.
EARLY INFLUENCES AND THE SPARK OF GAME DEVELOPMENT
Growing up in rural Oregon, Forest Willard's early fascination with technology was nurtured by his parents, who owned a computer store. This environment provided him with early access to PCs and programming languages like QuickBasic and Visual Basic. Influenced by his father's hobbyist programming, Willard began creating simple games, often turn-based strategy or RPG-like experiences. This foundational period, marked by self-driven learning through documentation and experimentation, shaped his approach to problem-solving and his innate ability to understand complex systems, which would later prove crucial in his game development journey.
THE PATH TO INNER SLOTH AND EARLY CHALLENGES
Willard's college years at Oregon State University led him to switch from mechanical engineering to computer science, where he met his future co-founder, Marcus Bromander. After graduating, Willard briefly worked at Microsoft. However, the desire to create games full-time, coupled with Bromander's progress on the Henry Stickman collection, prompted Willard to save money and pursue indie game development. The duo faced significant hurdles, including numerous failed prototypes and a game called 'Deded' that was greenlit but ultimately scrapped due to quality concerns. These early struggles underscored the challenges of game development and the importance of perseverance.
THE BIRTH OF AMONG US: A SIMPLE CONCEPT'S EVOLUTION
Before Among Us, Innersloth attempted to develop a spiritual successor to a duck-themed game, which evolved into 'Space Mafia' but struggled with balancing mechanics and player engagement. After canceling that project, Bromander was inspired by the movie 'The Thing' and the social deduction game 'Mafia,' leading to the core concept of Among Us. Willard initially viewed multiplayer game development as excessively complex, particularly given their past experiences like 'Dig to China.' However, he realized the concept could be simplified into a small, manageable project with basic graphics and mechanics, focusing on real-time sabotage and emergency meetings, a feature contributed by Amy.
ITERATIVE DEVELOPMENT AND THE "NET FUN" PHILOSOPHY
Early versions of Among Us featured rudimentary graphics and mechanics, with crewmates performing tasks and impostors attempting sabotage. Willard and Bromander focused on the core gameplay loop, recognizing that in social deduction games, players need constant engagement. The introduction of mini-games for crewmates ensured there was always something to do, addressing a common flaw in similar in-person games. This iterative process, guided by a philosophy of 'net fun'—ensuring that the overall experience is positive for all players, even those who might be losing—helped refine the game's design and player satisfaction.
THE SLOW BURN TO VIRALITY AND UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH
Released initially on mobile, Among Us gained a modest following. The game didn't explode in popularity until years later, in 2019 and 2020, primarily through streamers in South Korea and Brazil, and later globally via Twitch and YouTube. This slow-burn success was amplified by players inviting friends, creating significant network effects. The COVID-19 pandemic further fueled its popularity, as its free-to-play communication and social interaction perfectly suited a world in lockdown. This confluence of factors led to an astonishing surge, peaking with nearly half a billion monthly active players, a level of growth Innersloth had never anticipated.
MAINTAINING THE INDIE SPIRIT AMIDST MASS SUCCESS
Despite the monumental success of Among Us, Innersloth remains committed to its indie ethos. The company intentionally limits its growth, keeping its employee count low to foster close collaboration and efficient communication. While a significant portion of the team remains dedicated to Among Us, new projects are underway with smaller, dedicated teams. This approach ensures the team can maintain the 'Indie feel' they value, prioritizing a healthy work culture, avoiding burnout, and fostering creativity. Beyond new games, Innersloth is also venturing into new media with an upcoming animated TV series, demonstrating their continued ambition and evolution.
Mentioned in This Episode
●Software & Apps
●Companies
●Organizations
●Books
●Concepts
●People Referenced
Game Development Best Practices
Practical takeaways from this episode
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Common Questions
Forest and Marcus met at Oregon State University. After initial game development attempts and working at other companies, they decided to focus on making games together full-time, eventually founding Innersloth.
Topics
Mentioned in this video
Programming language Forest used through high school, building on his earlier experiences.
A game mentioned as an example for a design exercise where hypothetical powers could be added.
Creator of Hearthstone and Marvel Snap, whose ideas on 'net fun' influenced Forest and Marcus's game design philosophy.
The original networking stack used for Among Us that had known flaws and was eventually deprecated.
A game created by Ben Brode, mentioned in the context of his design philosophies.
A Flash game website Forest played in his youth.
An early game developed by Forest and Marcus that was released before Among Us.
The critically acclaimed social deduction game developed by Innersloth.
Game Developers Conference, where Forest recalls a talk about game design principles.
A game created by Ben Brode, mentioned in the context of his design philosophies.
An actor mentioned as being part of the cast for the Among Us animated series.
A social deduction game that was a direct inspiration for Among Us's core mechanics.
A Twitch group that created a viral video about Among Us, contributing to its momentum.
A simple game suggested as a starting point for new developers to learn the process of game creation.
A popular Flash game website Forest played in his youth.
Forest Willard's co-founder at Innersloth, met at Oregon State University.
A game mentioned as an example for a design exercise where hypothetical powers could be added.
A movie that inspired the concept of Among Us, specifically the idea of traitors among a group.
An actor mentioned as being part of the cast for the Among Us animated series.
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