Among Us’ Judge Role Was Built Around High-Stakes Meetings
Innersloth tested more than 20 role concepts before choosing 6 it was happy to release.
Among Us‘ Judge role did not survive development simply because it had a powerful button. The team says it made the cut because that button can change an entire Emergency Meeting while still leaving room for players to argue their case.
In an official Behind the Beans Q&A, Game Designer Dave and Senior Gameplay Programmer Jade explained how the role was tested, balanced, and separated from several other meeting-based ideas.
Why the Judge made the cut
At one point, the development pool contained more than 20 role prototypes. The team eventually chose 6 it felt ready to release, covering Crewmate, Impostor, Crewmate Ghost, and Impostor Ghost roles. Jade noted that many other ideas were abandoned along the way as playtesting exposed problems.
The first question for any prototype was simple: is it fun? Innersloth’s internal process, called “found the fun,” puts the roles into playtests and adjusts them until they feel right. A role also needs to offer something new, and the Judge stood out because its main ability works during meetings rather than during normal movement around the map.
That process also helped the team avoid roles that could prove a player’s identity with no room for doubt. Jade pointed to the Captain, which would have given its user 2 votes, and the Skip Stopper, which would have prevented players from skipping a vote. Both concepts could reveal the role too easily, making them less useful as sources of uncertainty.
The Captain also looked better on paper than it felt in playtests. A second vote could break a tie, but most meetings did not produce the kind of split needed for that effect. The Judge had a much larger influence instead. Its one-use Overrule ability can decide which Crewmate faces ejection, with the Judge taking the fall if the choice is wrong. That creates a real gamble for everyone in the room.
The Judge had to leave room for discussion
Balancing the role was not only about its power. The first version ended the meeting as soon as the Judge used its ability, before the rest of the voting process had finished. The team changed that behavior because it felt abrupt and shut down the discussion that makes Emergency Meetings work.
Dave explained that a good Crewmate meeting ability should give players more to discuss instead of cutting the conversation short. The final concept keeps the Judge’s decision important while allowing the rest of the lobby to weigh the evidence around it.
Multiple Judges created another technical problem. The game needs to determine which ability takes effect and when an Overrule should be refunded, so the role required a sizable amount of behind-the-scenes logic. That work matters most in unusual lobbies where more than one player has access to the same authority.
Jade’s ideal reaction to receiving the role is simply, “Oh nice, I’m the Judge in this round of the video game Among Us.” Dave had a more serious goal in mind. Holding the role should feel like carrying responsibility because a single decision can determine whether the Crewmates win or lose.
Would you trust your own judgment with Overrule, or would the pressure send the wrong bean out of the airlock? Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
Among Us
Developed by Innersloth
Play with 4-15 player online or via local WiFi as you attempt to prepare your spaceship for departure, but beware as one or more random players among the Crew are Impostors bent on killing everyone!
Originally created as a party game, we recommend playing with friends at a LAN party or online using voice chat. Enjoy cross-platform play between Android, iOS, PC, and console.
- Genre Strategy, Indie
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Android, PC (Microsoft Windows), iOS, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Perspective Bird view / Isometric
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release June 15, 2018
- Publisher Innersloth
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Age Rating
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Time to Beat
- Main
- 1.8h
- Main + Extras
- 4h
- Completionist
- 10h
