Poppy Playtime Is The Next Horror Franchise Icon In The Making

Competition for Poppy Playtime movie rights was fierce, but after aggressive negotiations, production company Legendary beat out all other contenders. Closing the deal with video game company Mob Entertainment, the game will be developed into a live-action feature film following a group of toys possessed by evil spirits and turned into monsters.

Legendary will produce alongside Mob Entertainment, Don Murphy, and Susan Montford from Angry Films, the company responsible for the recent horror film Faces of Death.

Poppy Playtime was first released in 2015 by brothers Zach and Seth Belanger, who founded Mob Entertainment and released the game on Steam. Emerging as an unexpected sensation, the game garnered a staggering 12 million players across both PC and mobile platforms. By the release of its third chapter, it had expanded its reach to include PlayStation and Nintendo Switch players. 

In addition to becoming one of the most well-known horror games in recent years, Poppy Playtime sparked a global merchandising craze, with terrifying Huggy Wuggy plush toys and various other merchandise finding their way into households worldwide. 

The story of Poppy Playtime plunges players into the eerie depths of an abandoned toy factory. Set in 2005, gamers assume the role of a former employee of Playtime Co., compelled to return a decade after the mysterious disappearance of its staff. Navigating through a first-person perspective, players must employ cunning and a gadget known as the GrabPack to unravel puzzles while evading lurking adversaries.

Despite acclaim for its chilling atmosphere, engaging gameplay, compelling narrative, and vibrant animation across the first three chapters, Poppy Playtime faced scrutiny for technical hiccups, notably in the second installment.

The game courted controversy over its visuals and character designs, drawing comparisons to children’s media and inadvertently capturing the attention of a younger audience than intended. An ill-fated foray into in-game non-fungible tokens in December 2021 met swift backlash, prompting developers to redirect profits from the tokens towards charitable causes.

Despite being innocent objects meant to bring joy to children, toys have long held a place in the field of the uncanny valley. Poppy Playtime capitalizes on the natural creepiness of children’s toys and combines the eariness with twisted inspiration from Willy Wonka, Toy Story, and Gremlins.

The game is ominous and scary, but also fun—a combination that the live-action movie hopefully translates to the screen well.

Poppy Playtime marks Legendary’s entry into the competitive video game adaptation market, joining successful ventures like Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog and HBO’s The Last of Us. 

Last year, Universal Pictures released a live-action adaptation of the viral horror game Five Nights At Freddy’s, which made $297.2 million globally against a $20 million budget. If Poppy Playtime does well, this move potentially positions Legendary to capitalize on a lucrative franchise opportunity.