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Electronic Arts Released The Sims 4 Skin Tone Update A Day Earlier Than Expected

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Aletheia
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The Sims 4 fans have been asking Electronic Arts for more skin tone options for quite some time now, and now it appears that the developer has finally obliged and released the highly-anticipated skin color update — a day early at that!

The Sims franchise is one of Electronic Arts’ most popular and profitable titles, and it’s no surprise too, given how the game continues to expand through expansion packs and DLCs. These expansions offer a variety of new content for players to make use of, from clothing and furniture items, new locations, and even fantasy worlds.

For instance, one Star Wars expansion pack that went live a few months ago gave Sims players the chance to travel to the fictional planet of Batuu. That being said, many players have criticized the franchise for lacking in diversity and real-life representation, concentrating instead on fictional packs such as the Star Wars one.

To be more specific, fans were displeased that the game didn’t have enough characters of color. Back in September, Electronic Arts addressed this particular concern, and the company promised that a new update would be released offering a wider variety of skin tone options.

Although this kind of content should have been included in the game from the beginning to accurately represent people and their differing skin tones, it’s still better late than never.

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Now, it appears that this fan-requested update is officially live, a day earlier than expected. The news was announced by none other than The Sims’ official Twitter account, which came as a series of tweets. The announcement also featured a short clip showcasing the different changes.

According to Electronic Arts, over a 100 new skin tones were included in The Sims 4, and there’s even a slider that allows players to customize the character’s skin color even more so that they get the exact skin tone they want for their Sim.

These incredibly-detailed customization tools have also been added to the makeup section as well. In addition to that, players will find that three base game hairstyles have been improved.

Last but not least, players who start the game will find a new and improved main menu, which gives The Sims 4 players the opportunity to stay up-to-date on all the new things available in-game.

Inclusivity has become such an important and necessary part of any form of media, whether it be movies or video games. As such, it’s such a joy to see Electronic Arts respond to the fans’ feedback in such an obliging and constructive way. The company even thanks a few social media personalities underneath the main announcement for their “constructive feedback” regarding The Sims 4.

Electronic Arts’ actions is yet another example of companies recently making an effort to change and improve the representation and inclusivity found in games — or lack thereof. Recently, Ubisoft apologized to the fans for including ableist language in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, promising to change the phrasing of the sentence in a future update.

It’s definitely heartwarming to see such big companies accepting accountability for their mistakes and then making an effort to fix them.

 

Cyberpunk 2077 Players Can Encounter Hideo Kojima At An In-Game Bar

By
Aletheia
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With Cyberpunk 2077’s release date fast approaching, the headlines will most likely talk about this highly-awaited CD Projekt Red game, especially since reviewers have already begun publishing their thoughts about Night City and everything in it.

Reviews from different critics have already been making the rounds, most of which have given Cyberpunk 2077 high scores and positive reviews. Given how expansive the game is, there are so many things that could be discussed about it. However, there’s one cameo in particular that has caught the attention of many, as it appears that Hideo Kojima is included in the game.

Kojima may be popularly known for his vital role in the Metal Gear franchise, but he has also received recognition for the success of Death Stranding, a post-apocalyptic action-adventure featuring Norman Reedus.

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Unsurprisingly, Kojima accumulated a cult following throughout the years since many fans enjoy his cinematic style as well as his complex narratives, so much so that he’s pretty much a pop culture icon at this point. As a result, Kojima has a tendency to show up in unexpected places.

From Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Silverhand to a variety of gangs with all kinds of members, Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City is home to unique and interesting characters. If players are specifically looking for Hideo Kojima, however, they’ll find him at a hotel bar early on in their playthrough.

In one of Cyberpunk 2077’s missions, players will find themselves visiting Konpeki Plaza wherein Jackie, the protagonist’s partner, will want to immediately check into a hotel room. However, those who want to explore the area a little bit more before heading back to their room will get the chance to interact with the Metal Gear creator.

Starting from the lobby, head towards the restaurant and bar which can be found near the back of the building. Once near that area, players will see Kojima sitting in a booth accompanied by several fans.

In this case, Kojima’s in-game character is known as Oshima, which is a pretty commendable play on words. The Japanese word Kojima translates to “small island,” whereas Oshima means the opposite — “big island.”

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In the booth, Oshima is pretty much just listening to other characters’ movie pitches, which is essentially something that the real Kojima himself can relate to. If players stay and talk to Oshima some more, they will get the chance to learn more about his character and why he’s in Cyberpunk 2077’s universe.

As expected of a game this big, there are bound to be all kinds of pop culture references and easter eggs peppered around Night City, and it’s up to the players to find these out for themselves.

As a matter of fact, there’s even a small nod to the 90s shoujo series, Sailor Moon, in the form of a photo mode pose. Speaking of poses, some even believe that the “V for Victory” pose is a reference to Dark Souls’ Solaire.

Including references such as these makes the game even more immersive and as close to real-life as possible, even though it’s a completely fictional universe.

One Cyberpunk 2077 Developer Defends Critical Reviews

By
Aletheia
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0
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CD Projekt Red initially revealed Cyberpunk 2077 nearly seven years ago, and since then the game has had its ups and downs. After getting delayed more than once, the action RPG is finally ready for launch. It’s expected of a highly-anticipated title to receive a variety of reviews, which is essential for gamers to read and evaluate if the game is worth purchasing or not.

The game was initially announced in 2012, while its first teaser trailer was dropped in early 2013. Just like The Witcher, which is another series in CD Projekt Red’s repertoire, Cyberpunk 2077 is also based on another franchise that has already existed years ago. More specifically, the game is inspired by Mike Pondsmith’s tabletop game series entitled Cyberpunk.

Even though most of the reviews so far praise Cyberpunk 2077 and its incredible world-building, characters, as well as gameplay in general, there are still a couple of negative reviews here and there. More often than not, these poor reviews criticize the game for having game-breaking bugs.

In addition to that, critics are confused as to whether or not the glitches are a result of technical issues or the game’s features. While a game receiving critical reviews isn’t a surprising thing to take place, what IS surprising is the fact that Cyberpunk 2077’s senior quest designer and coordinator, Philipp Weber, defended these unfavorable reviews even though he played a huge role in the development of a game that took years to finish.

Weber took to Twitter to voice out his thoughts regarding these negative reviews, and his perspective is such a breath of fresh air amidst a time where people get into heated arguments over opinions.

Negativity almost always catches the people’s attention more than the positive aspects, and this fact doesn’t change even in the gaming community. As for Weber, he says that fans shouldn’t focus on the headline or the score, but should instead take a closer look at the words being spoken or written.

After all, an expansive game like Cyberpunk 2077 requires potential players to really dig deep in order to see if it’s the kind of game they would enjoy playing. Weber finishes his series of tweets with “don’t come after anyone just for having a different opinion and experience,” and that kind of understanding and empathetic spirit is truly one-of-a-kind.

These days, many gamers simply look at a game’s score and then shrug it off as a “bad” game for simply not reaching the number or score they consider a worthy game to have. A game that receives a 7 out of 10 rating is often viewed as a mediocre game, whereas that kind of number would be deemed a high score in any other rating system.

In addition to that, the reviews out right now were not played from consoles, so the kind of platform used could also be another factor to keep in mind.

Without a doubt, Cyberpunk 2077 is a massive open-world title that is jam-packed with content, so it should be expected that the game would have a few bugs here and there. In any case, thoroughly read as many reviews as possible — both good and bad — in order to fully know if Cyberpunk 2077 is a game you’d enjoy.

Ubisoft Finally Reveals Release Date of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game Complete Edition

By
Aletheia
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0
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When Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game was initially released, it was well-received by the fans and garnered decent reviews. Sadly, the side-scrolling beat ‘em up was de-listed in 2014, and given the fact that no physical edition was released for the game, it basically meant that fans could no longer play it at all.

Fans demanded Ubisoft to bring back Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game for so many years, and thankfully the developer heard their pleas because a Complete Edition was announced back in September.

Fans initially thought and expected that Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game – Complete Edition would be released before the year ends, however, recent news state otherwise. Ubisoft has announced that the highly-anticipated game will be released on January 14, 2021, so while fans will have to wait a bit longer than expected, January isn’t that far away either.

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For those who may not know, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game – Complete Edition serves as a remaster of the original title from 2010, and it’s supposed to include not only the base game but the complete DLC packs as well.

The first DLC pack allows fans to play as Knives Chau, a high school girl who was intensely infatuated with Scott Pilgrim at first. In addition to that, this DLC also introduces two game modes, namely the Battle Royale and Dodge Ball.

As for the second DLC, it will introduce another playable character in the form of Wallace Wells, but no new modes will be added. Needless to say, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game – Complete Edition will give players the complete Scott Pilgrim experience, although there probably won’t be a lot of new content or features.

Upon release next year, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game – Complete Edition will be available on multiple platforms, namely the Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, PC, and PlayStation 4.

The glaring lack of a next-gen version might be noticeable, which is strange given the fact that both the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X have already been launched.

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No worries though, the upcoming game can still be played on the latest consoles thanks to backward compatibility. Still, we wonder why Ubisoft didn’t bother to just release a PS5 and Xbox Series X version of the game since the developer has already released numerous games that specifically cater to these consoles.

One other bizarre thing that caught the attention of the fans is the fact that Bryan O’Malley, who is the original creator of the Scott Pilgrim universe, didn’t play any part in this remaster. As a matter of fact, O’Malley didn’t even know that Ubisoft was working on the game until the official announcement was made.

That being said, O’Malley seems just as excited about Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game – Complete Edition as we are. In any case, we simply hope that this upcoming game will no longer be de-listed like the original game. In case that does happen though, it might be best to grab a copy as soon as it’s launched.

Xbox Making A Huge Announcement During The Game Awards 2020

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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0
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This year has been so memorable for the video game industry, but before the year finally ends, there’s one final massive event in the industry. The Game Awards 2020 is pushing through as scheduled, though without a live audience, otherwise, it will hopefully remain the same.

The 10th of December will provide a wide array of awards for the best games of this year as well as various announcements and reveals. According to rumors, one of the announcements going to be made will be coming from the team of Xbox.

GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb recently revealed a few details during one of the streams of the outlet. According to the insider, Xbox will be making an announcement at this year’s The Game Awards, but that’s the only information Grubb was willing to disclose at that time.

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His exact words were that he knows that Microsoft “has something coming to The Game Awards.” The context of the question posed to Grubb was associated with Microsoft’s recent procurement of the eSports bracket website Smash.gg and teases for future Game Pass reveals.

Aside from rejecting that the announcement is related to Smash.gg, Grubb didn’t give any clues at what the team at Xbox may be preparing for the show. All that’s confirmed is that Xbox will be formally joining the event and, if Grubb is telling the truth, they will make some kind of announcement. Xbox fans will have to watch The Game Awards 2020 to find out more. At the very least, if Grubb has learned about it before the awards show has aired, it will likely be a massive reveal.

Xbox has given separate detail about The Game Awards 2020 on its own. For instance, in the recent Xbox Game Pass announcement released last December 1, Xbox teased that it will “See you at the Game Awards friend!” As such, it wouldn’t be shocking for Xbox to announce the next round of major Game Pass games to be added to the service at the

https://youtu.be/YGXGWLK8aS8awards show.

The one title that is confirmed not to be at The Game Awards 2020 is Halo Infinite. Developer 343 Industries revealed last month that the game will not be featured in the upcoming event, though an update about its development will be unveiled soon, just at a different venue.

There are several other Xbox first-party games that could be revealed or featured at The Game Awards such as Obsidian’s Avowed, Starfield, or even the new Fable game. It doesn’t have to be just one announcement either. The Initiative’s new project could be showcased later in the show while Game Pass titles might be shown earlier in the event.

Genshin Impact Made $400M Within Two Months On Mobile Version Alone

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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0
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Genshin Impact, the free-to-play action RPG, has made a massive amount of revenue so far. For just two months since the game’s release, Genshin Impact’s mobile version has swept nearly $400 million dollars.

Initially released back in September, Genshin Impact burst in popularity. It is already being considered as one of the best mobile games of the year, as millions of players have downloaded and played it this year.

During the first few days of launch, it was downloaded more than 17 million times and immediately made $60 million, and now it has consistently climbing global charts for sales made despite being launched so late into the year.

From its launch last September 28 until today, Genshin Impact has made over $393 million on both iOS and Android devices through their respective app stores, based on mobile marketing analytics made by Sensor Tower.

It is worth noting that this doesn’t include third-party Android devices or any revenue made on the game’s PC and PlayStation 4 versions. It’s estimated that the game is making at least $6 million per day on first-party devices, which excludes most of the Chinese Android market, PC players, and consoles.

It is currently second in earnings across mobile devices in that time period based on the research of Sensor Tower, which was defeated solely by Honor of Kings. Third on the list is PUBG Mobile with $384M, followed closely by Pokemon Go with $238M and Coin Master with $229M.

Mobile games have been making tons of money this year after the global pandemic left gamers with a lot of free time. This means most mobile offerings will be gathering more money than ever, even after a game such as Pokemon Go made over $1 billion in revenue just last year.

The popularity of Genshin Impact can be attributed mainly to how well-designed the game is, according to many players. Between its diverse characters, graphics, and gameplay, the game has become one of the best RPG, mobile, coop games available in the market right now. Genshin Impact is also now the fastest-growing Chinese IP of all time.

Genshin Impact will most likely continue to improve. Between adding new content, introducing new characters and improvements such as the recent massive update 1.1 as well as confirmed huge expansions to the map and plot planned in the future, it appears like there is no end to the game’s potential.

miHoYo, the game’s developer seems like they have figured out the formula of making a great RPG that happens to be released on mobile, and this is amazing news for fans.

Serena Williams Endorses The Nintendo Switch In New Commercial

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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0
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Nintendo has been making tons of commercials to promote the Nintendo Switch console for this holiday season. Last month, Nintendo posted a new Nintendo Switch commercial featuring the actress Awkwafina that showcased the one-of-a-kind capabilities of Nintendo’s hybrid console.

Now, the gaming giant has posted another commercial featuring another popular female celebrity. This time, Serena Williams is the highlight of Nintendo’s latest Switch advertisement, which showcases different sports-themed and fitness games on the Nintendo Switch.

The commercial starts with Serena Williams playing Mario Tennis Aces on the Nintendo Switch in handheld mode. Though, it is no accident that Williams was playing the game, as the popular tennis players and her sister have a prior history with the game.

The two sisters joined in the Stay at Home charity event back in April, which featured them playing Mario Tennis Aces doubles. After featuring Williams playing the game, she receives a call from her personal trainer.

She is asked to warm up before a match, and she immediately begins playing Just Dance 2020 on her Nintendo Switch. After finishing her Just Dance 2020 warmup, Williams and her trainer faced each other in a match of Fitness Boxing using the JoyCon controllers.

Lastly, the commercial concludes with another look at Mario Tennis Aces. The pairing of Williams and the Nintendo Switch’s fitness games is a clever move, considering what a high-level sports player Williams is.

It just goes to show how much thought the company’s PR and promotional team put in when it comes to casting these commercials; especially considering that Brie Larson was also featured in another ad last month, playing another popular Switch game, Animal Crossing New Horizons.

This myriad of commercials definitely covers all of the aspects that make the Nintendo Switch an impressive console, for casual and hardcore players alike. The ads also appeal to a wide demographic, featuring people of different genders and ethnicities alike.

Though a few of the celebrities in the commercials have focused around haven’t been vocal about their love for video games, one specific actress has been. Brie Larson has publicly talked about her love of games countless times in the past.

As a matter of fact, Larson will be a presenter at next week’s The Game Awards 2020. It’s always great to see famous celebrities showing their love of games alongside everyone else. Anything that furthers video games in the realm of mainstream popularity is always positive for the industry, and these Nintendo Switch ads are a remarkable example of that.

Predator is Coming To Fortnite In New Crossover Event

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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Hunters are the main focus of Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 5. The plot of “Zero Point” follows up on Season 4’s Marvel-theme by rounding up heroes from across various dimensions through a breach made by Galactus’ invasion, including pop culture icons such as Kratos from Santa Monica Studio’s God of War and Din Djarin from hit Disney+ series The Mandalorian.

Players of the famous battle royale game have been guessing about the upcoming characters they want to see as skins inside the game which fits the current season’s theme like Samus Aran from the Metroid franchise.

However, new leaks are suggesting more serious challengers including Halo’s Master Chief arriving in Fortnite in the future, and fans also noticed hints inside the game as well as new promotional material from Epic Games pointing to iconic alien hunter – Predator.

Fortnite-inspired YouTube channel Top5Gaming, which currently has more than 4.5 million followers, posted images as proof of an upcoming Predator crossover via his official Twitter account last Saturday, which was discovered in a suitably-named locale called Stealthy Stronghold. For instance, there is a truck acting as a generator identical to the one in the 1987 movie, and a symbol found inside the stronghold that looks a lot like the sign seen when the Predator is locking in a target.

However, there is more evidence than this. A thread in Reddit posted last December 3 in the r/FortniteBR subreddit by DetectiveDomino suggests that a sound effect heard inside the stronghold resembles the Predator’s clicking sound.

There was also an audio recording posted on the official Twitter account of Fortnite last December 1, dubbed “Reality Log 1987” by an in-game character in the form of Agent Jones as an absolute quotation to the movie. In the log, Jones mentioned that every jungle is filled with “strange predators” and then pauses to hear a nearby roar.

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References to the Predator movie have thus far only been included in easter eggs and subtext, so there still no guarantee when the developers will announce more details about the crossover and what it will bring. Luckily, there is a confirmed Fortnite announcement at the upcoming The Game Awards 2020 this Thursday, but fans will have to wait until then and see whether this refers to the Predator movie.

Meanwhile, Fortnite’s new season introduces a number of new tasks for fans to accomplish in order to progress their Battle Pass which contains Mando’s Beskar armor.

Activision Blizzard Files Lawsuit Against Netflix

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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0
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Activision Blizzard is taking streaming giant Netflix to court for allegedly poaching one of its top officers shortly after he separated from the company. The case which was filed a few days ago in a California court claims that Netflix deliberately poached Spencer Neumann, the former CFO of Activision Blizzard, who separated ways with the company under undisclosed circumstances back in December 2018.

Neumann, who was hired as Activision’s CFO last May 2017, was bound via contract to serve in the position for a minimum of three years, and an optional fourth. Neumann allegedly worked with Netflix during the negotiation period between the two companies, in which they expected to attain a commercial partnership.

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Netflix has been getting around the idea of moving into streaming and video game development, and getting Neumann was likely a huge step in achieving this goal. However, supposedly a collaboration with Activision wasn’t all that Netflix had in mind: Activision is now accusing that the streaming service compelled Neumann into breaking his contract by actively recruiting him while the negotiation was in process. The CFO took the bribe, and now Activision is worried that other employees might do the same.

The first indication that there was a problem was back in December 2018, when it was announced that Neumann had to leave Activision, a year and a half before the end of his contract. No specific reasons were provided at the time, but a few days later, Netflix revealed that Neumann was their acting CFO.

The timing obviously raised a few eyebrows, but nothing solid about the situation came to light until Activision Blizzard filed a lawsuit in California a few days ago, openly disputing that Neumann was hired by Netflix with a clear violation of his contract.

According to reports, the lawsuit indicts Netflix of deliberate interference with the contract of Neumann, unjust competition, as well as abetting and aiding Neumann’s breach of fiduciary duty, and claims that the company has lost a lot of money paying for a replacement. The lawsuit is asking the court for a mandate against Netflix to stop them from further poaching employees, a practice that the streaming service has unfortunate fame for perpetuating.

This is certainly not the first instance Netflix has been alleged of poaching employees from companies – it previously lost a case with Fox and is currently facing charges from Viacom for the exact same reason.

Netflix also has a history of firing employees it considers “average” while actively coercing staff from competitive companies, which does not lend much generosity to their reputation either. While no one will ever prosecute Activision for being totally lacking in controversy, Netflix’s quite very honest and blatant negligence for common courtesy does raise a few red flags.

Get the Chance to Earn Free Among Us Glitch Pet Via Twitch Rivals

By
Aletheia
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0
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The month of December gives Among Us players the chance to earn a free pet via Twitch. While the process you have to go through in order to unlock the pet will take more or less half an hour, it’s guaranteed that the pet will be completely free and can be used in Among Us as soon as it goes live later in the month.

As you may or may not know, Among Us is a social deduction game that’s free of charge on mobile platforms, but players will need to fork over a bit of money if they want access to pets.

That being said, there really is no benefit to having a pet around except for the fact that they’re adorable and add a little bit of flavor to the game. Some of the pet options in Among Us include miniature versions of the crewmate as well as alien dogs.

There’s also a little robot that looks like Wall-E and other alien-related creatures. That being said, it is only recently that Among Us will be getting a pet design that promotes a particular brand.

https://twitter.com/TwitchRivals/status/1334937682204561408?s=20

Recently, InnerSloth’s Among Us has collaborated with Twitch, one of the most popular streaming platforms out there, to release a brand-new pet that looks like Twitch’s logo. The collaboration specifically focuses on Twitch Rivals, which is a renowned competitive streaming event.

In line with this, those who engage in this year’s Twitch Rivals Among Us tournament series will be able to obtain the new Glitch pet for free. As soon as you finish watching the streams for a total of 30 minutes, at least, you will be able to claim the free pet.

That being said, it’s worth noting that the pet won’t be available until much later in the month, but that doesn’t mean you can’t redeem the prize as early as possible.

In other news, the chance to earn a free Glitch pet isn’t the only exciting thing in store for Among Us fans this month. For instance, it’s been confirmed that The Game Awards 2020, which will take place on December 10, will reveal the highly-anticipated new Among Us map.

Not only that, but InnerSloth also previously confirmed that it’s currently working on adding additional language support to the online game along with a variety of bug fixes.

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While the game continues to change and improve over time, its fanbase also continues to grow bigger and bigger. Thanks to events and partnerships such as this one, the Among Us community will not only get to support the game and its developers but their favorite streamers as well.

In light of this collaboration, some fans may be worried about the possibility that InnerSloth is beginning to introduce third-party brands and content. If this does turn out to be true, it would be possible that Among Us would contain several images referencing brands and the corporate world.

To be fair to InnerSloth, the game is free-to-play on mobile devices and only costs $5 on PC. In other words, the three-person developer may be looking at other ways to increase their income without resorting to an increase in the game’s price. If the next best alternative is a simple Twitch Glitch pet, then we fully accept and support it.

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