Mob Entertainment, developer of the popular Poppy Playtime brand of indie horror games, has filed a civil lawsuit against Google and another developer, whom Mob claims has used their games’ namesake and brand imaging to dupe fans out of their money. The Poppy Playtime developer’s lawsuit against Google and Daigo Game 2020, Inc. includes claims of copyright infringement, trademark dilution, and unfair competition, and asks for a total judgment amount of at least $375,000.
Poppy Playtime is an episodic survival horror game that released its first chapter in October 2021. Set in an abandoned Willy Wonka-esque toy factory filled with monstrous living toys, the series rose to prominence thanks in part to its deceptively kid-friendly content, which had schools warning parents over the monstrous Huggy Wuggy, a long-legged furry blue monster who has become a mascot of sorts for the series.
Related
What to Expect from Poppy Playtime Chapter 4
New details have emerged about Poppy Playtime’s next chapter, and there’s much that can be surmised from even these breadcrumbs.
The highly anticipated Chapter 4 of Poppy Playtime is set to release on January 30, but another company, Daigo Game 2020, Inc., had already created an app on the Google Play Store with the title “Poppy Playtime Chapter 4” on October 15, 2024. According to a lawsuit recently filed in a California civil court by the attorneys for Mob Entertainment, that same company has a similar app aping the game’s third chapter, releasing it two and a half months prior to the actual game’s original debut on Steam and nearly a year before it was added to Google Play. While the lawsuit indicates that both of Daigo’s apps are masquerading as the actual versions of their respective chapters of Poppy Playtime that can be downloaded for free, upon opening, they instead ask users to spend up to $95 on a mod, which only takes them to an inactive URL.
Poppy Playtime Claims Google Violated Copyright Laws
Among the 283 articles contained in the 40-page court document, Mob Entertainment states that Daigo used numerous copyrighted images from Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 in an attempt to fool customers into downloading the pair of apps. This includes references to multiple Poppy Playtime enemies including Huggy Wuggy and Mommy Long Legs, as well as the game’s GrabPack tool and Smiling Critters like Bubba Bubbaphant and DogDay.
According to the lawsuit against Google, which demands a trial by jury, Mob Entertainment had made multiple demands that Google take down both of Daigo’s allegedly fraudulent apps from its Google Play Store, with first notice sent on October 31, 2024. Daigo’s version of Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 was removed on or before December 9, 2024, but was back up on the storefront by January 13, 2024, where it still appears as a top search result for Poppy Playtime. In addition to removal of the apps from Google Play, Mob Entertainemnt is asking for a minimum of $75,000 in actual damages and statutory damages of $150,000 for every work infringed, as well as court costs and attorney fees.
You must stay alive in this horror/puzzle adventure. Try to survive the vengeful toys waiting for you in the abandoned toy factory. Use your GrabPack to hack electrical circuits or nab anything from afar. Explore the mysterious facility… and don’t get caught.
Playtime Co. was once the king of the toy manufacturing industry… until everybody inside of the factory one day disappeared into thin air. Now, years later, you must explore the abandoned factory and uncover the truth.
The toys of Playtime Co. are a lively bunch! From Bot to Huggy, Catbee to Poppy, Playtime does it all!
As long as you’re at Playtime Co., why not pay the toys a little visit? You might just make a few friends…
This amazing GrabPack is a wearable backpack, accompanied by 2 artificial hands attached via steel wire.
With this handy, state-of-the-art tool, there’s no limit to what Playtime Co. employees can accomplish! The following list of features should help to show you what the GrabPack has to offer.
The hands’ powerful grip allows for movement of heavy objects with ease!
A lengthy and flexible wire gives any employee the ability to reach whatever they may need, no matter the distance!
Adventure
Puzzle
Indie Games
Action
Survival Horror
- Released
-
October 12, 2021
- Engine
-
unreal engine 5, unreal engine 4
- ESRB
-
r
- How Long To Beat
-
54 minutes