Key facts
- Paramount+ has released an animated series based on the game Among Us.
- The series follows 11 crewmates on the spaceship Skeld who must identify an alien impostor.
- Owen Dennis, creator of Infinity Train, developed and directed the series.
- The voice cast includes Yvette Nicole Brown, Elijah Wood, Dan Stevens, Randall Park, and Kimiko Glenn.
- The series explores themes of capitalist workplace exploitation.
- All 10 episodes are now available to stream on Paramount+.
Paramount+ has released an animated adaptation of the social deduction game Among Us. Developed and directed by Owen Dennis, creator of Infinity Train, the series follows 11 crewmates aboard the spaceship Skeld as they attempt to identify a shapeshifting alien impostor. The show features a voice cast including Yvette Nicole Brown, Elijah Wood, Dan Stevens, Randall Park (as Captain Red), and Kimiko Glenn (as Cyan). Dennis aimed to develop distinct characters and explore their interactions, moving beyond the game's abstract avatars. The series balances homage to the game's recognizable elements with its own identity, incorporating animated violence and a critique of capitalist workplace exploitation, drawing inspiration from films like The Thing and Alien. All 10 episodes are now available to stream on Paramount+. The surprise release was announced by stars Yvette Nicole Brown and Liv Hewson at the Summer Game Fest. The game, released in 2018 by Innersloth, became a hit in 2020, with notable figures like U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar participating. The series was announced in 2023, with Dennis stating in October 2024 that it was finished. The show is described as a charming and sharper-than-expected adaptation. The article notes that the series plays up character archetypes in ridiculous fashion, jamming as many laughs into each 15-minute episode. Sight gags abound, with Dennis playing with the Crewmates' appearances. The series emphasizes that the villain is not just the Impostor, but also corporate greed, represented by the mining company MIRA. The show mimics the game's camera style and characters' 2D walks when Crewmates move between rooms, and nods to the game's tasks and voting mechanics. The Impostor alien unveils unsettling body horror, taking the game's classic eye stab kill animation to new heights.