Poppy Playtime is an episodic indie horror game that was released in October of last year. Many were quick to take notice of the game for its unique puzzles and scary characters, particularly Huggy Wuggy. Despite its relatively short play time, people were eager to see what the next chapter would bring.
However, things took a turn for the worse when the developer, MOB Games, decided to release a set of Poppy Playtime NFTs. This earned the scorn of many fans, which later led to many negative reviews on the indie game’s Steam page.
Poppy Playtime’s NFTs
In December of last year, MOB Games announced that they would be offering NFT versions of Poppy Platyime’s in-game banners. The developer presented the offer as an “opportunity to own a piece of the game.” Additionally, collecting all of the available NFTs, six in total, would give fans the option to unlock the seventh NFT. A full set would allow players to complete a puzzle.
The puzzle was introduced via a set of audio clips that came with each NFT. The first six clips provided different sets of distorted-voiced lyrics, while the last was a cipher that gave the player clues on how to put the lyrics together. The final answer to the riddle was “Mommy Long Legs is coming”, which was probably a preview for the next chapter of the game.
That being said, fans weren’t happy with the way MOB Games decided to tease Chapter 2. Each NFT in the collection is $14.99, making it a great buy to collect them (any NFT aversions aside). Players also felt that the developer was hiding the Poppy Playtime lore behind a paywall. Following this, Poppy Playtime’s reviews on Steam began to plummet, and MOB Games removed their NFT announcement on Twitter. Today, of the more than 30,000 reviews, around 7,000 are negative.
On May 3, MOB Games CEO Zach Belanger finally released a statement regarding the Poppy Playtime NFT issue. In it, he explicitly states that MOB Games regrets undertaking the NFT project. He also clarifies that the company never intended to hide important information behind a paywall, citing that the NFT puzzle only contained a teaser for the next chapter. Despite this, Belanger explains that Poppy Playtime NFTs will still be for sale as the company has a contract. The company’s NFT proceeds will then be donated to the Clean Air Task Force (CATF), a group dedicated to reducing air pollution and transitioning to clean energy.
Other issues related to Poppy’s playtime
Although the NFT issue has more or less been fixed, MOB Games still has some issues to attend to. Belanger’s statement also addresses recent plagiarism issues. Poppy Playtime reportedly plagiarized Venge, another indie horror game from developer Ekrcoaster. Additionally, some of the MOB Games staff have a shared history with Ekrcoaster, and allegations of bullying have been brought forward.
Apart from this, Poppy Playtime Chapter 2, which was released on May 6, is riddled with bugs and startup issues. With around 3,500 reviews on Steam currently, around 1,100 are negative. Some players share that they can’t even play the game due to fatal error exception screens. Other, luckier players manage to play but report that the game is too buggy.
All these problems do not paint MOB games in a positive light. Many netizens express that they no longer want to support the company or Poppy Playtime due to their shady practices. Still, there are many who have already forgiven the developers and are eager to see more of the episodic indie horror game. With more episodes, merchandise, and even a Poppy Playtime movie on the way, there’s a lot to look forward to.
Poppy Playtime is now available on Android, iOS and PC
