In the wake of successes likeFive Nights at Freddy’s,Legendary Entertainmenthas inked a deal to bring the popular survivalhorrorvideo gamePoppy Playtimeto the big screen. In a move that saw the company beat out several other aggressive offers, the deal will see Legendary produce the project along with Don Murphy and Susan Montford of Angry Films. MOB Entertainment debutedPoppy Playtimein 2021 via Steam, and since then the game has gone to haveover 40 million players on PC, mobile, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Roblox.
This isn’t the first time a film version ofPoppy Playtimehas been announced, as it was previously reported in 2022 that MOB would be teaming with Studio71to release a theatrical adaptation. That project has since fallen through, allowing Legendary to swoop in and make the deal. In a statement released by MOB’s co-founders and brothers, Zach and Seth Belanger, they said that they’re thrilled to have been able totouch the lives of so many people, and that the move comes as the “logical next step” as they continue to grow their transmedia company. They also mentioned how they’ve always “dreamed big,” with the purpose of “inspiring and entertaining.”
“When we first started this journey, we followed our passion and created a series of games and brands with the purpose of inspiring and entertaining. We’ve always dreamed big and are thrilled to have created something thathas captured the hearts of tens of millions around the world. This movie deal is a great logical next step in the growth of our transmedia entertainment company.”
Horror Video Games That Would Make For Terrifying Film Adaptations, Ranked
These video games are staples in the horror genre and would make for downright scary adaptations.
This is now the third time Legendary and Angry Films have teamed up together, as the pair are also currently developinga remake of the VHS cult-classic,Faces of Death(which recently wrapped filming), and are working together to bring a multi-medium take on the legendary science fiction classic,Buck Rogers, to life. This time around, they’ll be bringing characters such as Huggy Wuggy, Mommy Long Legs, and CatNap to life for fans of ‘Poppy Playtime,’ which also features shades ofWilly Wonka,Toy StoryandGremlins. Check out the full synopsis of the video game below.
“Set in the year 2005, the player takes the role of a former employee of toy-making company Playtime Co., who revisits its abandoned toy factory 10 years after its staff’s mysterious disappearance. The player navigates through a first-person perspective and must solve puzzles, some requiring a gadget named the GrabPack, to progress while avoiding various enemies.”
Poppy Playtime is Not Without Controversy
Aside from comparisons toFive Nights at Freddy’s,Poppy Playtimefrom MOB Entertainment is not without controversy. Developers have faced reports of plagiarism, angry parents upset that the character of Huggy Wuggy is negatively influencing their children, claims ofsexualizing characters fromFive Nights at Freddy’s, and there was a brouhaha about the release of some NFTs that were announced in 2021 that came under scrutiny from fans of the game. The Belanger brothers were unable to remove the non-fungible tokens due to a contract they’d already signed, but they did announce in 2022 that all proceeds from those sales would be donated to the Clean Air Task Force organization.
Despite these controversies, however,Poppy Playtimeis as popular now as it has ever been, and the time is right for Legendary to enter the spaceof video game adaptations. Should the big screen version be as popular as not onlyFive Nights at Freddy’s, but other recent successes such asThe Last of Us,Twisted Metal, andSonic the Hedgehog, the company could find itself in possession of a very lucrative franchise.
