It started with a creepy whistling tune and a dancing demon that looked like he crawled out of a 1930s trash bin. Honestly, back in 2017, nobody expected a simple indie game about a bankrupt animation studio to become a global empire. But here we are. Bendy and the Ink Machine games didn't just create a jump-scare factory; they built a twisted, ink-smeared mythology that’s still expanding today.
You’ve probably seen the plushies in Target. Or maybe you've heard the fan songs that have more views than some pop stars. But if you actually try to follow the timeline of the games themselves? It's a mess. A beautiful, inky, confusing mess. Between the mainline sequels, the weird mobile spin-offs, and the experimental "teaser" games, keeping track of what’s canon is basically a full-time job.
The Games That Actually Matter (And Why)
Most people think there are only two games. They’re wrong. While the original Bendy and the Ink Machine and its sequel Bendy and the Dark Revival are the big ones, the franchise is scattered across several different experiences.
The original 2017 game was episodic. It was clunky. Let’s be real: the combat in the first game was mostly just swinging a pipe at black blobs and hoping for the best. But the atmosphere? Unbeatable. You play as Henry Stein, an old animator who returns to Joey Drew Studios only to find the "Ink Machine" has turned his old creations into living nightmares.
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Then came the long wait.
Bendy and the Dark Revival finally dropped in 2022 after years of delays and studio drama. It changed everything. It wasn't just a sequel; it was a massive technical upgrade. You play as Audrey, who discovers she’s a bit more "inky" than she realized. This game actually explained the "Cycle"—the idea that the entire world of the first game is a looping prison created by Joey Drew to punish his old friend Henry. Dark, right?
The "Other" Projects
- Boris and the Dark Survival: This is a top-down scavenger hunt. You play as Boris the Wolf, trying to find scraps in a procedurally generated studio while the Ink Demon stalks you. It’s simple, but it adds a lot of flavor to the world.
- Bendy: Secrets of the Machine: Released in early 2024, this one is basically a walking simulator filled with teasers. It introduced a new character named Riley and hinted at a "Gent Corporation" cycle that’s even more industrial and terrifying than Joey's.
- Bendy: The Cage: This is the big one on the horizon for 2026. It’s a "sidequel" that happens during the events of Dark Revival, focusing on Henry’s escape from a prison called The Pit.
Why the "Cycle" Changes Everything
You can't talk about these games without talking about the lore. The biggest misconception is that the studio in the game is the actual studio from the 1930s. It isn't.
It’s a pocket dimension.
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Joey Drew, the failed visionary, used the Ink Machine and some questionable "rituals" to create a world where his cartoons could be real. But because they lacked souls (initially), they came out wrong. The Ink Demon isn't actually Bendy—it's a soulless, smiling mistake.
By the time we get to the later games, we find out that the Gent Corporation—the guys who actually built the machine—had much darker plans than just making cartoons. They’re the real villains. They want to control the ink. They want to control life itself.
The Real-World Drama Behind the Ink
The history of Joey Drew Studios is almost as dramatic as the games. The founders, theMeatly and Mike Desjardins (Mike Mood), went through a massive public fallout around 2019.
There were reports of dozens of employees being laid off without notice after their other project, Showdown Bandit, flopped. Fans were furious. For a while, it looked like the "Bendy" brand was dead. But they rebranded, hunkered down, and eventually delivered Dark Revival, which proved they still had the magic.
It's a weird case of life imitating art. A studio head (Joey Drew/Mike Mood) under fire for how he treats his workers? The irony isn't lost on the community.
What’s Coming Next?
If you think the story is over, you haven't been paying attention. 2025 and 2026 are shaping up to be the biggest years for the franchise yet.
We have Bendy and the Silent City in the works, which is reportedly a first-person shooter set in the ink world. Then there’s the third mainline game, Bendy and the Ink Factory, which was teased in Secrets of the Machine.
And then there's the movie.
Director André Øvredal (the guy behind Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark) is attached to a live-action adaptation. It’s being produced by Radar Pictures. If they pull off the "vintage horror" aesthetic, it could be the next Five Nights at Freddy's at the box office.
How to Actually Play Them Today
If you’re just getting into it, don't just play the first game and stop.
Start with the original Bendy and the Ink Machine, but keep in mind it’s an indie game from 2017. It’s a bit janky. If you're on a PS5 or Xbox Series X, grab the "enhanced" versions that dropped in 2025—they fix a lot of the lighting and performance issues that plagued the original console ports.
Then, jump into Dark Revival. It’s much more of a "real" game with stealth, upgrades, and actual combat mechanics.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check out the 2025 Updates: If you haven't played the first game since it launched, the recent "Enhanced Editions" on PS5 and Series X are the definitive way to experience it.
- Monitor the "Secrets": Keep an eye on Bendy: Secrets of the Machine on Steam. The developers have been updating it with hidden teasers that change over time, pointing toward the 2026 release of The Cage.
- Follow the Gent Loop: Read the novels like The Lost Ones if you want to understand the Gent Corporation’s role before The Cage releases, as the games are leaning heavily into the "industrial" era of the lore now.