Indie game developer Mob Entertainment has inked a deal with children’s publisher Scholastic to expand its horror video game franchise Poppy Playtime into several different book formats.
The multi-year agreement kicks off this week with the release of a Poppy Playtime Orientation Notebook at retailers across North America. This book for readers 12 and up acts as an illustrated employee handbook for the mysterious Playtime Co. toy factory and explores the origins of mascot characters Huggy Wuggy and the Smiling Critters.
Set in 2005, the Poppy Playtime game franchise puts players in the role of an unnamed former Playtime Co. employee who revisits the factory 10 years after the mysterious disappearance of its entire workforce. Players soon discover that the factory’s toys have come alive as monsters who must be cleared from the facility.
Scholastic will follow up on this month’s lead title with a series of graphic and YA novels that are in development with Mob Entertainment to ensure they remain accurate to the lore of the games. Launch dates for future releases had not been set at press time.
Mob launched Poppy Playtime Chapter 1 (pictured) in 2021 and has released two more games in the series since. PhatMojo is the IP’s master toy licensee, and Jazwares’ games division rolled out a Poppy Playtime: Forever Roblox game last year that has been played more than 43 million times to date.