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Another Halo Infinite Project Lead Leaves the Already Delayed Project

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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Even more saddening news for Halo Infinite fans as reports indicates that the director of the game, Chris Lee, has officially left the project. Lee is still a 343 Industries and Microsoft employee, but his separation is the most recent bump to a project that is already hurt by a massive delay.

Despite fans undoubtedly still supporting the latest addition to the famous franchise, Halo Infinite faces a myriad of issues almost from day one of development. Technical problems meant a totally new game engine had to be assembled in order to survive.

Early fan feedback to the Halo Infinite’s gameplay was mostly negative, especially concerning its gameplay and graphics. Expanded outsourcing resulted in rumors of creative differences haunting the development team.

While production was in process, the coronavirus pandemic was also in full swing. In addition, it also appeared that the initiative just couldn’t hold on to its leads. Tim Longo, the original creative director of 343 Industries, the studio developing Halo Infinite, abandoned the project as well as the studio suddenly last August 2019, a withdrawal which remains totally unexplained but cast deep uncertainties on the progress of the game.

Mary Olson, who took over as Halo Infinite’s lead producer upon Longo’s leave also left the team shortly thereafter, as well. Chris Lee, a partner head at 343 Industries who has been with the company since 2008, has been leading the game’s production as the project director until this recent unexplainable exit, which doubtfully comes just a few months after the announcement that the game will be delayed to 2021, removing it out of the release window of Microsoft’s next-gen consoles.

Lee’s separation from Halo Infinite mirrors Tim Longo’s in that there has been no legit reason for why both directors left the project. However, there are rumors that Lee felt underappreciated by the inclusion of former Bungie and Halo writer Joe Staten and Pierre Hintz, 343 Industries’ Head of Halo Publishing, to assist in pushing the plagued game to the finish line.

Lee provided a statement to Bloomberg which simply said:

“I have stepped back from Infinite and I am looking at future opportunities. I believe in the team and am confident they will deliver a great game and now is a good time for me to step away.”

The only reply of Microsoft to his statement has been to give gratitude and support to Lee, but likewise offers no other information as to why the third major lead of Halo Infinite has chosen to step aside. Lee still remains as a Microsoft employee, which implies that he might have left the project due to valid reasons.

However, that and the addition of both Staten and Hintz surely adds credibility to the speculations that there are creative differences that are haunting Halo Infinite’s development than the ongoing pandemic.

PS5 Release Date Revealed for Co-op RPG ‘Haven’

By
Aletheia
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0
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According to a recent PlayStation Blog post by Emeric Thoa, the creative director for developer and publisher The Game Bakers, the interactive co-op RPG entitled Haven finally has a release date for the PlayStation 5.

Excited fans can now mark December 3, 2020 on their calendars, as this will be the release date for the PS5, while the PS4 players will be able to experience the game some time in early 2021.

Among other things, Thoa also revealed how the co-op mechanics of Haven will work, and from what we’ve learned, everything looks seamless. According to the blog post, the developer initially planned for Haven to be a single-player title.

However, The Game Bakers just couldn’t help including a co-op system in the game, especially since it’s all about two characters who are in love with one another. That being said, you can either play Haven alone or with a friend or significant other.

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The post also further delves into the developer’s process and how it was able to create a game with a relaxing and enjoyable multiplayer system, which is the complete opposite of Furi, The Game Bakers’ fast-paced action title.

That being said, we still don’t know when Haven will be released on the other consoles, since the PlayStation Blog post understandably only mentioned the PS5.

One of the many cool things about Haven is how seamless its co-op is i.e. you can drop in and out of co-op mode easily and at any time. This can be best seen in a short clip that was included in Thoa’s post, wherein you or another person can easily activate co-op mode just by pressing any button on a second controller.

In other words, there’s no need to pause the game just to set things up for the second player. Similarly, the second player can opt-out of the game just as quickly, allowing the first player to take control of both characters once more via singleplayer mode.

This kind of smooth transition will surely do wonders to keep Haven as immersive as possible for those who are playing the game together. That being said, there’s a slew of other cool features in the game’s co-op mode as well.

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For instance, another feature in Haven’s co-op mode that has caught our attention is the way the dialogue options are managed. Instead of making the second player feel like an unimportant bystander as the first player makes all the decisions, Haven requires both players to agree on which answer to choose before they can progress.

According to the game’s developers, this feature allowed players to really converse with one another during playtesting, as they debated over which option to choose. Haven also has a couple of co-op combat features that will surely make playing the game interesting for both players.

In any case, fans are more than excited to experience Haven either as a team or solo, especially since the PS5 version is set to release in about 5 weeks. Sadly, the PS4 release doesn’t have a set date just yet, but it’s supposed to be released early next year.

Resident Evil 3 Might Still Make Its Way to the Switch, According to Dataminers

By
Aletheia
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0
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Capcom has released a bunch of its Resident Evil games to the Nintendo Switch, but fans of the newer titles such as the remakes aren’t as lucky, as these are conspicuously absent from the Switch library.

Even though there was a rumor earlier this year saying that Resident Evil 3 would be ported to the Nintendo Switch, it seemed that it was simply untrue. That is until recently, as dataminers were able to find evidence that seemed to revitalize the rumor once more.

After Nintendo suddenly released a new Direct Mini: Partner Showcase video out of nowhere, it was revealed that Control will be making its way to the Nintendo Switch console via the cloud.

You might be wondering: what does Control’s Switch release have to do with Resident Evil? Well, because of this new announcement, fans were able to discover a potential cloud version of Resident Evil 3.

Earlier today, dataminers rifled through the website of Control Ultimate Edition Cloud Version, which led to the discovery of a Resident Evil 3 Cloud Version. The information found looks pretty believable as well.

Dataminers found an image of Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira, two protagonists from Resident Evil 3. Now, the discovered image is the same photo used as cover art for the game, only this time it has the words “Resident Evil 3 Cloud Version” on it.

After they discovered the photo and subsequently posted it online, the file mysteriously disappeared from the cloud streaming site.

That being said, there’s still no official announcement from Capcom, and given our experience with Resident Evil 3’s previous leaks and rumors, we have yet to find out if this discovery will turn out to be true or not.

In any case, this wouldn’t be the first time that a Resident Evil game was released on the Nintendo Switch with the help of cloud streaming. More specifically, Resident Evil 7 was previously ported to the Switch through the cloud, since the title is too technologically advanced and the Switch isn’t capable of handling the game on its own without any help.

It would be great if this leak turns out to be true so that players can play Resident Evil 3 anywhere and everywhere. However, there’s still one potential problem: there’s still a chance that not everyone will be able to play the game.

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You see, the cloud version of Resident Evil 7 was only released in Japan, and neither Capcom nor Nintendo has shown any signs that it will be launched anywhere else.

On the bright side, cloud streaming is becoming more and more commonplace in areas outside of Japan, so this could still change in the near future. However, it’s best not to keep your hopes up for now and manage your expectations.

The Nintendo Switch is an amazing handheld console that you can bring around with you thanks to its portability. With the advent of cloud streaming, the Switch is now able to make up for its limitations.

As a matter of fact, cloud streaming has gotten so popular nowadays that other services such as Stadia, xCloud, and even the new Amazon Luna are utilizing it. In any case, Resident Evil 3 fans will just have to wait and see if the survival horror game will truly make its way to the Switch.

Sony Predicts They Will Sell 100 Million PlayStation 5 Units Within Its Lifetime

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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0
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Sony says they are planning to sell at least a hundred million PlayStation 5 units over the course of its lifetime, revealing that the company is releasing its next-gen console in the best condition ever. The PlayStation 5 does come at a prime time in terms of both video games interest and considering where Sony is a distributor of first-party games.

The world’s hunger for video games is at an all-time high because of the global pandemic closing down the production of various forms of entertainment like TV series and movies. Sony is established to benefit from this as last generation’s leader, and its backward compatible PlayStation 5 will allow individuals who played the PlayStation 4 in the past to continue to enjoy their games on the next-gen console.

According to recent reports, Hiroki Totoki, Sony’s chief financial officer, discussed the company’s sales goal for its next-gen console in a presentation to investors. In addition to its long term goal of achieving 100 million consoles sold, he confirmed Sony’s more instantaneous goal of surpassing the PlayStation 4 in the new system’s first year on the market.

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This may be possible thanks to the PlayStation 5’s outstanding release lineup including Bugsnax, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and a library of popular PlayStation 4 games through the PlayStation Plus Collection.

Even though it might seem like 100 million PlayStation 5 units sold is a big goal, the company already achieved it before. Based on the company’s sales figures, every PlayStation except for one has reached this goal.

The exception is the PlayStation 3 which only attained just over 87 million systems sold. In comparison, no Xbox console has ever reached such numbers, with the Xbox 360 coming in the closest at 84 million units sold. Other platforms that have sold at or above 100 million are the Nintendo DS, Game Boy, and Wii systems.

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Considering the success of the gaming industry and Sony’s previous sales numbers, it seems more than rational to expect that the PlayStation 5 will hit 100 million units sold when its life has reached its limit. Even the PlayStation 3 which was considered the underdog of its generation because of being expensive during its release, ultimately defeated its competitors to reach the top spot versus the Xbox 360.

It will really be interesting to see how everything falls out in the years to come, especially considering Nintendo’s consistent success with the Switch, the increasing popularity of cloud gaming platforms, and Microsoft’s two-pronged system lineup.

Genshin Impact Had One Of The Most Successful Mobile Game Launches Ever

By
Aletheia
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0
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It appears that one of miHoYo’s greatest decisions this year was releasing Genshin Impact on a global scale, as the title has been on the up and up again since its launch. Many western fans have become infatuated with this free-to-play action RPG, with its expansive roster of playable characters and amazing art style.

As a matter of fact, Genshin Impact has been performing so well ever since version 1.0 was released, so much so that it’s now considered to be one of the biggest mobile launches of all time.

According to Sensor Tower, the Chinese title has accumulated nearly $250 million in revenue on mobile devices ever since its launch this year near the end of September. As a result of this incredible amount, Genshin Impact ranks first as the highest-grossing mobile title worldwide for the past month.

In second place comes Honor of Kings, with almost $30 million separating the two. On the other hand, more or less $50 million separates Genshin Impact from PUBG Mobile, which is in third place.

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These aren’t the only records Genshin Impact has broken due to these incredible numbers. More specifically, the online multiplayer game is currently the second most successful in terms of mobile launch, with titles such as Fire Emblem Heroes accumulating around $70 million and Fortnite garnering $25 million during the first months of their respective mobile releases.

The only other game that was able to make more money through its players during its first month of release was Pokemon Go, which was able to accumulate roughly $283 million. For those players who have been keeping an eye on Genshin Impact’s progress, this new record might not come as a surprise.

After all, the title was able to reach 17 million mobile downloads alone during its first four days. Shortly after this announcement, it was unveiled that miHoYo was able to make $100 million on Genshin Impact alone. In other words, the developer was able to regain the money they used to develop the game.

It’s also great that Genshin Impact’s fanbase is so passionate about the game. Asides from spending hours on end playing it, some have dedicated a portion of their time making fan art and cosplays of the various characters you’ll find in-game.

Not only that, but the community itself strives to help each other out. Some fans have even created helpful infographics that significantly improve the gameplay experience of other players.

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That being said, it appears that miHoYo really cares about its players as well, and this can be seen in the way the developer has been releasing updates containing quality of life improvements and bug fixes that undoubtedly make the game perform better than it already does.

For instance, there’s a possibility that miHoYo will be greatly improving Genshin Impact’s fast travel system, which is a highly-appreciated feature in an expansive open-world game such as this.

In addition to that, it’s said that a later update will contain a detector that makes it easier for players to track down Anemoculus and Geoculus. Without a doubt, there’s a lot to look forward to in Genshin Impact and we believe that the title will only achieve even more going forward.

PlayStation 5 PS Plus Collection Receives Two More Additional Games

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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0
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Sony has revealed that they are adding two more games to the PlayStation Plus Collection, broadening the already flourishing library of games that will be launching alongside the PlayStation 5.

The two new current-gen games being added to the collection are Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy and Call of Duty Black Ops 3: Zombies Chronicles Edition, which Ps Plus subscribers will be able to download to their next-gen consoles.

The two new inclusions join the likes of various third party games already in the library such as Batman: Arkham Knight, Fallout 4, and Final Fantasy 15. It also includes first-party games like The Last Guardian, God of War, and Bloodborne.

Call of Duty Black Ops 3: Zombies Chronicles Edition includes an entirely remastered edition of eight original zombie maps from various modes established in the series. While the game also has the base game found in Call of Duty Black Ops 3, the major focus is its zombie mode which has become so famous after it was originally introduced with Call of Duty World at War.

On the other hand, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a collection of three games namely Crash Warped, Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot. All three games were remade from the base up with new graphics and a new engine in one package. Crash Bandicoot became popular on the PlayStation 1 thanks to these classic games and their spin-offs.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy has been so successful that developer Activision followed the game immediately with Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, a remade edition of the original Crash Team Racing. Following the triumph of both remakes, the studio announced and launched a sequel called Crash Bandicoot 4 It’s About Time last September.

Revealed at the September PlayStation 5 Showcase, The PlayStation Plus Collection is a new project by Sony which will bring a collection of famous games from the PlayStation 4 to the next-gen console. While most of the games in the collection are from Sony’s first-party lineup, players can anticipate a few popular third-party games too.

The PS Plus Collection appears to be a major project for fans who are having second thoughts on jumping to Sony’s next-gen console from the PlayStation 4 when it releases. While Sony has made it clear that the project is not a direct rival of Microsoft’s Game Pass, the lineup is certain to capture the attention of current and future PlayStation fans alike.

With the inclusion of a couple of new games, it’s easy to see that the PlayStation Plus Collection is growing with time as the PlayStation 5 arrives in player’s hands.

Bravely Default 2 Receives New Trailer Video Along With Release Date

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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0
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It’s been almost exactly a year since Bravely Default 2 was revealed. When it was announced for the Nintendo Switch last December 2019, fans of the franchise were excited at having a new game to expect, and now there is more to celebrate.

As part of the Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase for October, more details were released about Bravely Default 2. The announcement included an acknowledgment of the response it received from the demo as well as new details about the new game’s world. Perhaps the most important, a launch date was provided – Bravely Default will launch on the Nintendo Switch on February 26, 2021.

A brief summary of the game’s world was the main focus of the new trailer, building off of the details revealed by Square Enix just a few weeks ago. The land of Excillant appears to have similar problems to Luxendarc, once again requiring four heroes to salvage it from annihilation. There was also a part introducing some of the game’s Asterisk Holders – the game’s bosses’ player must beat to unlock new jobs for the main protagonists.

The later release date related to other upcoming games is not too startling, as it has been suggested that the Bravely Default 2 developers are struggling because of the ongoing pandemic. A huge part of this was the result of hasty work from home orders, which a lot of developers were unprepared for.

Since then, time in a real studio has let the development team progress accurately once more. Hopefully, the launch date leaves sufficient time to integrate everything else the developers want to add to the game.

Another critical bit of news that was only shortly discussed in the showcase was the results of criticism received from the game’s demo. A demo for Bravely Default 2 was released back in March, and the developers encouraged fans to give their first impressions of the game. The results of the feedback were discussed in a separate video, which detailed the improvements that are being done to the game.

The improvements include a difficulty setting which can be changed anytime in the game, as many believe that enemies were too difficult to take down in the demo. A set of quality of life enhancements was also made especially on the battle screen and menus.

One exciting feature added involves opponents encountered in the overworld, which now run away from the player or glow red depending on their power compared to the player. Everything confirmed about Bravely Default 2 so far appears that it could really make a successful launch in February, but only time will tell for sure.

Temtem is Time Limited PlayStation 5 exclusive: price, early access date revealed

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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0
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Having used eight months brooding on the PC, Temtem is finally being tailored for a full console launch, and it appears that PlayStation 5 fans win the lucky draw. The vibrant MMORPG will be exclusive to Sony’s next-gen console when it is released, with an Early Access edition coming as soon as December 2020.

Players will be able to buy and download the games Early Access PlayStation 5 edition starting December 8th. After this, the game will be consistently updated until it achieves its first complete form, and v1.1 will be launched as the full game. Ultimately, Temtem will also be released to other platforms as well.

Temtem is a game that sets upon the concept of taming creatures that Pokemon successfully cemented with its franchise. It gives players the ability to catch and raise cute monsters called Tem, while managing their own customized home, fight against friends, and finish the game’s campaign mode. Players will be able to visit and discover six expansive islands upon the full release of the game, though they are not all currently available right now.

The game is set to cater to more than 100 one of a kind Tems, some of which are regarded as mythical, and others feature unique colors such as the Shiny Pokemon that so many players loved. Furthermore, Temtem boasts of its fully exhaustive coop functionality.

Since the game is a massive multiplayer creature collecting adventure, players can anticipate the totality of its campaign to be available in coop mode. So unlike other coop friendly games such as Genshin Impact, which limits players to a specific mode, Temtem allows players to go through the entire story campaign with friends if they want to.

Temtem was initially slated for an Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 release, but sadly, this is no longer the case. Recent speculations point out that Temtem will only be coming to the Nintendo Switch sooner or later before finally making its Early Access debut as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 owners will have to wait until the title’s next-gen launch to get their hands on a playable console copy.

Talking about content, preordering Temtem will allow owners to play Early Access on December 8, receive exclusive preorder items, and eventually, access to the full game. The Special Edition preorder contains the same thing but will include an exclusive in-game camo suit.

With this said the main draw of preordering the Early Access is certainly its cheap price – the game’s price will gradually increase following each update to the game, leading up to v1.1 which will be sold at $60.

 

YouTuber Lambastes Genshin Impact After Spending More Than $7,000 on Wishes

By
Aletheia
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0
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In a recent YouTube video, content creator Mtashed has criticized miHoYo’s Genshin Impact and its gacha system, saying: “I think that this system is very predatory. I think that this system is gambling.”

After he ended up spending thousands upon thousands of dollars on the action RPG, Mtashed is now concerned that he may have influenced his viewers to follow his footsteps and worsen their financial situation.

The gacha system of any game always has the tendency to become a slippery slope, but it appears that this is made even more obvious in Genshin Impact’s case. Even though it’s a free-to-play title, one of its main attractions is its small windows of opportunities that reward players with rare 5-star characters through its Wishing mechanic.

Here’s how Wishing works: using Primogems, which you can obtain from progressing through the game or through promos and events, you can make a Wish in-game that will hopefully reward you with high-quality characters and weapons. However, Genshin Impact’s provision of Primogems only come in small quantities, enough to pull a weapon or character a few times in a week.

Genshin Impact has a wide array of playable characters, and players have already set their eyes on a few favorites. As such, players end up spending a huge amount of money just to try and get their hands on a specific four or five-star character.

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Now, it appears that YouTuber and content creator Mtashed is having none of it, as he is now openly lambasting the Chinese title’s gacha mechanic for what feels like an exploitative system.

Mtashed received a lot of concerned messages from fans who were worried that the YouTuber might have a gambling addiction. Following this, the YouTuber himself feels like he ended up developing a problem after all, and it wouldn’t be safe for his fans if he kept promoting and supporting the game.

You see, Mtashed has forked over more or less $7,200 on Genshin Impact. That’s obviously quite a lot of money. Sadly, this wouldn’t be the first time that a player has spent a huge amount on the Wish system. Another Genshin Impact streamer was previously criticized by their viewers for spending $2,000 just to try and get their hands on Keqing, a 5-star character.

Even though Mtashed gained a lot of new viewers for his Genshin Impact content, he says that he regrets posting about the title at all because his videos probably influenced others to use money that they don’t have on the RPG.

After calling Genshin Impact a “crooked” game, he announced that he will be making a brand-new account wherein his gameplay will be completely free-to-play. In addition, his previous videos that showcased the Wishing system without providing any educational value will be removed.

Mtashed isn’t the only one promoting the game’s free-to-play aspect, though. Other YouTubers and content creators have been encouraging players to go the free-to-play route, as the four-star characters are more than capable of winning battles even in the late-game content.

Although gameplay will be significantly slower, it’s completely possible to experience the entirety of Genshin Impact without having to spend a single dollar on the game. As for Mtashed, he plans to only use his AR45 account to create guides and other similar content, but he refuses to spend money on Genshin Impact going forward.

Among Us Most Commonly Used Words and Slang Revealed

By
Christian Allen Tandoc
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1
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Among Us by developer InnerSloth deeply prioritizes both deception and teamwork via its chat system but usual emergency meetings only last for several minutes, so players have either created and borrowed simple slangs to simplify the process.

Among Us is an online competitive puzzle game based on a player’s ability to communicate efficiently with other players. Once the game begins, players take the role of a group of cartoonish characters in a diverse science fiction environment.

Every player will be assigned the role of an impostor or a crewmate and will be expected to perform various tasks across the map. Crewmates will focus on doing simple challenges and observe the behavior of fellow players. On the other hand, Impostors destroy the Crewmates’ tasks in order to isolate and kill them in the process.

Crewmates can call an emergency meeting or report dead bodies and decide on whether or not a player will get evicted from the match. Impostors will do their best to trick players into evicting the wrong players.

This process requires a lot of discussions, but to ensure players can’t prolong meetings for too long, the time is limited to only a few minutes. As a result, the mode of communication utilized by players is short, snappy slangs created to essentially exchange details with ease.

SUS

One of the most common slangs used in Among Us is SUS which is a shortened word for suspect or suspicious. It is the go-to word when a player accuses or believes that they might be the impostor. Alternatively, Impostors can utilize the word to divert attention away from themselves and towards an unwary innocent Crewmate.

AFK

Among Us is also available on the PC via Steam, so several of gamespeak made its way into the game’s vocabulary. One word commonly used in the game is the term AFK. Unlike SUS, which is a shortening of a single word, AFK is an acronym for Away From Keyboard.

The phrase originated from PC gamers who would usually need to excuse themselves while inside a match for different reasons. Since then, the term became common among gamers across the world, even the ones who don’t play on keyboards. Since Among Us is also available on the PC, it wasn’t long before AFK became a commonly used word.

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Where

Other Among Us slangs are just shortened thoughts rather than acronyms or individual words. When a player notifies the team of a dead body, Crewmates usually often instantly ask “Where” to locate the dead teammate’s body.

It’s a simple question that starts the conversation going and demands players to present alibies to remove themselves from the list of possible suspects.

Vent

Vent is used by Among Us players both as a noun and as a verb to describe how Impostors utilize vent openings across the map to easily move from area to area.

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