Game Theory: You Are Being LIED To! (Bendy and The Dark Revival)

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Friends, after 5 years of silence the Bendy franchise has returned from the inky depths, with Bendy and The Dark Revival! Our favorite ink boy has brought with him all kinds of LORE except… it’s all WRONG! I’m on to you Joey Drew, why don’t YOU stick to drawing adorable children's cartoons while I’m over here fixing your lore FOR you!
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Credits:
Writers: Matthew Patrick and Tom Robinson
Editors: Dan "Cybert" Seibert, Jerika (NekoOnigiri), JayskiBean and Dom Sealion
Assistant Editor: Caitie Turner (Caiterpillart)
Sound Editor: Yosi Berman
#BendyAndTheDarkRevival #Bendy #Bendy2 #BATDR #BendyAndTheInkMachine #BATIM #BendyTheory #BendyLore #MatPat #Theory #GameTheory

[@Jumpyman_thegamerYT]

I'd like to point out that Audrey is part of a long line of experiments. There's a secret note that you can find in the Keepers Lair that says something along the lines of "Nearly all of them have called me 'Uncle'. But this one called me 'Dad'. For this, I am proud, as she is practically my daughter in every way". If y'all remember at the end of BATIM, a young girl's voice says "Tell me another one Uncle Joey". Now, knowing what we know in BATDR, we can work out that this young girl is one of the early prototypes for Audrey. Edit: Damn, 5.3k likes? I never expected to get so many!

[@aspen1945]

omg this needs to be a top comment !!

[@annamarina5456]

@@aspen1945 I agree, wtf this makes so much sense

[@AuzzieAnxiety]

Amazing! This needs to be pinned

[@AurumnBGM]

That young girl might he Heidi. Heidi and Porter both might just be Audrey's siblings

[@Jumpyman_thegamerYT]

@@AurumnBGM Yeah, I think that too. I saw SuperHorrorBro’s video.

[@islandsicedtea]

Matt: “The OBVIOUSLY evil janitor” Mark: “I am fully convinced this man’s evil appearance is just a red herring and he’s actually a normal, innocent man”

[@code__mochi]

obviously

[@Chillipeffer]

it's way too obvious

[@Gabzew]

​@@Chillipefferthey literally admit on the archives that they made in that obvious in purpose

[@jiayunma8167]

I still love Footofaferret's voice acting for him. "Auuudreeyyy...are you familiar with.. *long inhale* the Five Nights at Freddy's timeline?" -breaks and starts giggling-

[@toast_69sus]

​@@jiayunma8167lmao yes 😂

[@asage7210]

“Clearly evil janitor” Mark: “..nah I trust him”

[@rwilson1197]

I gave him the benefit of the doubt until he started talking like gman

[@magnacrushersart572]

@@rwilson1197 yeah i just thought that he had a weird voice cause I thought it *WOULDN'T BE THAT OBVIOUS*

[@BtheRockGMan]

He was too obvious of a villain, I would’ve trusted him too 💀

[@lkatwaroo7099]

@@More_Alia-on-Nicegrambot

[@jaymesthededengine5237]

Did you even try????

[@tw1stedcut]

If I’m being honest, this game kinda was a “sorry for previously being a game with a vague story line just so Matpat has theories to make about it, here’s a game with a clear story that even casual players can pick up” and I liked that.

[@VeritabIlIti]

Yeah, there are quite a few things here that don't add up. For one, why are we immediately assuming Joey is lying about everything? If the ink version isn't actually him, it's possible it has its own personality or that Joey has changed from being a POS. Also, if the acquisition was only a year before the game, how did everything at Archgate go to hell so fast?! I think Matt is being a little quick to discard the entire game with this one...

[@cheddarbub6324]

@@VeritabIlIti lol agreed. One of the only other comments I've seen bringing this up

[@Carlos-tl7tf]

meatly: *gives us the lore* mattpat two seconds later:

[@ghidorah15]

Yeah, I really like how _Bendy and the Dark Revival_ zigged where _FNaF_ zagged, giving us a clear and engaging story that can be followed and understood fully within the game itself. It's such a breath of fresh air.

[@Zyraphim]

Love how Mat usually has to dig through mountains of content to get to the lore, but immediately rejects it when it's served to him on a silver platter

[@boxinthejack2166]

Video game: actually explains the story in detail and thought Matpat: “Hmmmm… not buying it.”

[@phanton4305]

@@boxinthejack2166 he's used to fnaf being overly convoluted

[@madamemystica]

@@phanton4305 also he did say multiple times that sometimes he makes a theory to throw ideas out, it's not something the audience should believe completely, but something for us to think about.

[@theoverlord3937]

And then bases his theory off the lore he rejected, like Nathan Arch buying the Bendy rights *after Joey was already dead*

[@exalted_space9224]

Yep

[@tornikeantia8936]

Seeing MatPat doing a theory on Bendy feels like 2017 all over again.

[@hereisthefullvid8934]

Link to the Clip : - They finally released this kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHa7m4Woid-HnbM !

[@Others457]

@don't be surprised NO ONE CARES

[@Others457]

@@hereisthefullvid8934 NO ONE CARES

[@bxxsta]

To me it's weird to think it's been 5 years since 2017 it feels like just 2 or so years ago

[@owyemen9367]

Hope he makes a salad Fingers vid also

[@zachexistz3440]

Game: *Gives A Lot Of Lore* Matpat: Its all a Lie! Game: *Gives Literally One Piece Of Lore* Also Matpat: *Makes 7 Different Theories Based On That One Piece Of Lore*

[@ezrato]

This really checks out when you consider that Wilson created the house maid in the image of his mother (the maid reveals this in the last chapter) - this makes a lot of sense for him to do if his mother had been killed by Joey and he was missing her.

[@nuttynutsnutstache]

She didn't have to be killed by joey in order for Wilson to miss her.

[@ezrato]

@@nuttynutsnutstache Maybe not, but the only other plausible reason I could think of as to why he'd be missing her is that she died of old age, which is possible, but would be odd, given that her husband is still alive and hasn't even retired yet. You might say it's simply cause she's not around much but eh, there's nothing in the game that hints at that to my knowledge, whereas there is possibly something that hints towards her death by Joey as discussed in the video

[@nuttynutsnutstache]

@@ezrato I have a plausible reason. The fact that she died. You don't think the fact the she died would be a reason wilson misses her mother, and maybe NOT the cause of her death? Hmmmmmmm?

[@ezrato]

@@nuttynutsnutstache Yeah, she died, and now Wilson misses her because she's dead. The cause of death has no relation to why Wilson misses her, it's purely just an explanation as to why she died in the first place.

[@itz_cinnabon9963]

This!! I was expecting this to be brought up in some way

[@Afish8me2china]

One small thing you missed: Joey wasn’t salty when he sold over the rights to bendy, Nathan bought the rights from Joey’s estate when he died

[@emorynox5395]

I was thinking the same thing. Nathan talks about how much he missed his friend and was lamenting all his friends greatest works disappearing forever. He started ArchGate AFTER Drew died solely to house and produce Bendy Cartoons..... In fact, its an ongoing part of the lore notes that the Gent company was upset that Arch bought up all the equipment that they thought was rightfully there's and was sending spies to check on it.

[@loganbuhain1559]

Either way… how does Joey get ahold of Tessa’s soul?

[@dakota6050]

@@loganbuhain1559 pure skill

[@hadeskratos3430]

@@loganbuhain1559 What if its not Joey but Nathan. Arch has all the equipment Joey used, maybe Nathan wanted to bring back his wife and Joey since how else would he be in that world

[@Electrical010]

Doesn't this mean this theory is void? The timeline would be broken then.

[@PramkLuna]

As terrible Joey was to his staff, I do feel bad with how he or his soul died. And happy his pencil and a dream came to life.

[@beef3442]

Technically he’s still alive since he put his memory’s in the machine and since we redid everything bendy didn’t kill the memory version.

[@dbearded130]

@@beef3442 your old memories living on aren't the same as you being alive.

[@FrancisCastiglione]

@@dbearded130 But they're pretty much a perfect replica of you, albeit lacking a real soul.

[@Sam_is_hamXXX]

@@recitationtohear it leads to an air fryer

[@alienorca4137]

I have a couple of problems with this theory. First off Tessa Arch can't be Audrey, because in the Nathan Arch audio log that we find in Wilsons lab he mentions both visiting the animation department and bring a hotdog home for Tessa. This means that Tessa would still be alive while Audrey was working at Arch Gate Films, so they couldn't be the same person. Second off I think Joey is actually telling the truth for once. I believe him because he told Audrey she was never really human and at the end of the game the Ink Demon tells Audrey that she is like him. This would make sense if Joey was telling the truth because it would mean that the Ink Demon and Audrey were both created solely from the ink. Also, I know this doesn't change the fact that Joey has still done horrible things in the past, but just because a person can't fully redeem themselves doesn't mean they can't realize what they did was wrong and at least try to set some of the things they did right. One more thing, if you wondering why Audrey didn't turn out like the Ink Demon, I am not really certain myself, but I have a theory of my own. My theory is that after Audrey was created Joey showed her love and kindness which were things that the Ink Demon was never exposed to. Because of this Audrey grew up being able to feel compassion and empathy while the Ink Demon ended up becoming the soulless monster we all know and fear. P.S. Sorry for any grammar or punctuation errors.

[@VeritabIlIti]

I completely agree! The immediate dismissal of the presented lore also dismisses an interesting character development that would completely ruin all of the emotional payoff of the story, and no self-respecting writer would do that. There's also the question of how Audrey existed in the real world at the beginning and clearly has some recollection of being real. Why would she suddenly have implanted memories? What would that do for anyone?

[@BubblegumSocialClub]

Absolutely agreed with this

[@RepOfAntarctica]

What I'm getting hung up on is that if Audrey was made from the soul of Tessa Arch, why would Wilson want to use Audrey to then make his cartoon creation of Shipahoy Dudley, instead of bringing his mother back? Even if Wilson in The Cycle isn't the Wilson from real life, is MatPat suggesting he would have NO idea whatsoever that Audrey would have been made from his mother? I don't know all the bits of lore (as I only watched Markiplier's playthrough), but I can't imagine that would be the case, since he is aware of The Cycle & being able to access it in the first place; further, MatPat makes the Oedipus Complex reference. Change Dudley to a drawing of Wilson's mom, & then it all ties nicely to "Audrey's purpose," giving a better plotline for a game with holes in its story, not to mention repetitive game mechanics.

[@BubblegumSocialClub]

@@RepOfAntarctica These are are great points!! There are definitely way too many holes in this theory

[@Jimmy-cg9db]

I think matt pat sticks too hard to theories he makes that if anything doesn't line up to his he will make it like he knows it. Even tho Joey (Aka the memory Joey) says it all out that Joe does have a change in heart yet Matt pat doesn't believe it and think Audrey has a soul of someone else even tho Joey being nice now would never do that. Also the studio is like it's own relm. Clearly exaggerated because that's not the real world and also the soul thing could be more then likely confined to the studio relm.

[@LarvaHeroes]

Glad I'm not the only one who thought joey being nice was strange after doing all of that horrific stuff.

[@TrueBroski79]

The fact that Mike Mood was one of the main creators of the first game but proceeded to lie to his real life employees about his companies financial situation 2 years after he made the main antagonist of his game do it in the game, is actually insane to me.

[@shacharlem4424]

Interestingly, in the original bendy and the ink machine credits roll, the credits states the game was made by theMeatly AND Mike mood. But at the credits for bendy and the dark revival, the credits states that the game (this game) was created by theMeatly ALONE.

[@connorcook2089]

@@shacharlem4424 I think it's because; if I remember correctly, Mike Mood was the one who fired 50 employees, and then TheMeatly kicked him off the team.

[@shacharlem4424]

Mike still had his role as Thomas Connor though@@connorcook2089. I thought it could also mean what the future of the series could be. Mike seems to be more into mysteries from the clip that's heard on the chat while theMeatly seems more like an honest person.

[@shacharlem4424]

Though I never heard of themeatly kicking him off@@connorcook2089.

[@punkshotgun3421]

What's that phrase? "Art imitates life"

[@he_will_be_back]

Is it sad to realize that no one talks about this game anymore...like it was talked about some before it released and then was silence after that, it's honestly sad

[@Celtic1020]

Another thing this theory blatantly ignores is that the Ink Demon calls Audrey the "Daughter of Drew" and he didn't here Joey's speech earlier in the game or he would've been hunting Audrey. He also has no motive to lie about this. So Audrey being Joey's daughter has to sources now. Also claiming that her soul must have been Wilson's mother is completely outlandish because for one thing I highly doubt he could get her to visit a friend of her husband's workplace and secondly it falls into fan theory "this offscreen character is the same gender as this character so they must be the same" energy.

[@mas8705]

Matpat sure has been going on this streak of “the game was lying!” theories quite a bit lately, hasn’t he? First Golden Freddy wasn’t real and now Bendy lies.

[@FooxArt]

Yep, rip the games of old.

[@megakittenex]

@@chinothemeerkat3215 This exact video explains literally how he came to the conclusion.

[@alex.g7317]

Bendy doesnt lie, Joey Drew us the one lying.

[@Ovenman23]

It’s because they are all lore dumps

[@mas8705]

@@Krivvet Honestly, I don’t know why the “.” was used instead of “?”. Thank you kindly for pointing that out since I guess my thumbs hit the wrong button when I wrote the comment.

[@misswitch4760]

One detail I've noticed recently is the character's eyes. Henry, Allison and Alice all have normal, human looking eyes. But Audrey, Wilson and even the inky creatures and monsters have glowing yellow eyes. I wonder if that might mean something? I haven't seen anyone else mention it before, so I thought it was worth making a note of.

[@charlottesweb5964]

Maybe it's because it's how they're meant to be. Henry is henry, Alice and Alison were turned into angels, that was who they played as. I have nothing for Tom, but all the Boris look the same. Audrey though? It can be argued that she's herself, but she's also not herself. She was born to be a colored ink creature in the real world. She wasn't supposed to be in the inked world and certainly not black and white. Wilson wasn't supposed to be there either, plus the ink recreated his eyes. As for the inky creatures, they are deformed.

[@cdesigner9178]

My thought? Level of power. Henry, Allison, and Alice are still mostly human. Audrey has actual powers, Wilson has some tricks up his sleeve (even if they aren't from his own physical ability; he did bring some splashes of color to this world), and many of the ink monsters have some level of supernatural ability. Not all of them, of course. After all, Sammy, the Searchers, and Bertrum don't have glowing eyes. Then again, in comparison to some other characters, they are not that powerful.

[@vixenfox1910]

Well, every creature that's born from ink only and isn't a cartoon character has glowing eyes. So it's a kinda obvious hint that Wilson ain't human either

[@29Naybla]

glowing eyes = have a soul, maybe?

[@boop4945]

I think it's supposed to imply that characters with glowing eyes have a deeper connection with the ink and thus have supernatural powers. An alternative theory is that all of the characters in the game with glowing eyes are characters without a purpose and thus could break the cycle. Every character without glowing eyes has some type of purpose that continues the cycle, the characters with glowing eyes (like the lost ones) are characters who are always searching for what their purpose is.

[@jasminemohamed823]

At this point I think matpat just lost his mind due to how complicated the lore used to be 😂😂

[@theor225]

So yeah, Joey is now 100% evil.. a complete 180 from Matpat's theory about Joey changing to a nice man and reaching out to his former employees and ask them for forgiveness

[@HoodyBlk]

I love it when game developers (and those alike) are aware of MatPat and his theory crafting because game lore is important.. finding a deeper story and hidden meanings to events is added fun for the brain..

[@scarletrevon522]

Right! Sometimes it make a game worse but other times like this one they do a amazing job doing the lore. Before matpat games definitely didn’t have as much lore.

[@Natp69]

Matpat is one of the reasons why I want to make games in the first place bc of his obsession with lore, and has actually helped me put enough into them

[@zzichenn7170]

@@Natp69 please doooo ill be here to support and buy

[@TRG_R17]

I only do that for Fortnite

[@TRG_R17]

Reply 5

[@Razgriz85]

Considering the game is supposed to take place in the 1970s, it's comes off as strange that Audrey has a hair and clothing style that you'd see in the late 30s through the 40s.

[@hannatude]

THANK YOU! I don’t know why no one else has pointed this out.

[@w_h_y1112]

DUDE I THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY Like, especially the hair caught me off guard

[@holdup7585]

hey maybe she just likes the look of it, besides she looks ✨fabulous✨

[@leechee6984]

@@holdup7585 ?

[@jjadac3529]

I wonder if she was "born" in the late 30s, early 40s?

[@walkerphillips2818]

Lore: *presents itself straightforward* Matpat: NO

[@Cherry-jj7lw]

MatPat with the FNAF books:✅️ MatPat with the Bendy books:❌️

[@UserSJ71]

I don't think I've ever felt more intimidated when MatPat said that the hotdog was an important clue.

[@Falmeriono]

Next thing you know, a single atom accidentally misplaced in Audrey's room would be the biggest clue to solving the Bendy franchise

[@i_garfed_on_the_carpet]

*Wrong*

[@___000O]

🧱

[@kidpixel4818]

I don’t know about intimidating but it’s funny that out of everything given to us in the game THAT’S what ties everything together.😆

[@thegravityguy4654]

Regardless of what the real Joey may have done, I suspect that ink Joey genuinely believes what he’s saying.

[@adriansimonsen6533]

Yeah, I agree

[@mustalkar7448]

@gametheoristt-via-Tele_Gram bruh 💀

[@rainbowmoon5834]

@gametheoristt-via-Tele_Gram nobody cares

[@rishinsenguptagoddestroyer5024]

@gametheoristt-via-Tele_Gram fake

[@clockspeed1836]

yea he seems very confused by litteraly "his own" creation, wont be surprised he didn't know the real Joey's actions

[@sleepybaby8218]

"It's been 5 Years since the first game" But I still remember almost every important detail... I really love Bendy 😭

[@Popkmon]

Is it just me or is the janitor more scary than the entire game franchise.

[@hoe6046]

Just to note: Archgate bought the rights AFTER joey died That was made clear in Nathan's note It's also noted that the ink machine actually used souls

[@shacharlem4424]

Matpat: "yeah... Nathan lied too."

[@silvsevie]

Joey could have killed Tessa and used her soul to make Audrey after Nathan didn't lent him the money and the studio went broke. And if Nathan didn't know Joey was his wife's murderer, he could have bought the rights of the characters after Joey's death to honor someone he thought was his friend.

[@VeritabIlIti]

Yeah, something about the timeline here just doesn't add up. The hot dog clip in particular gave me the sense that it was fairly recent, which doesn't explain how Tessa would be Audrey unless Arch was actually insane. I have a feeling the whole cycle thing is important

[@shacharlem4424]

In the bendy wiki, it is said archgate films was already an animated film company way before buying the bendy franchise.

[@hoe6046]

@@shacharlem4424 yea, but i said the rights to bendy was bought after he died, not that the studio was made after he died

[@kingofgamesandanime1683]

But Nathan Arch didn’t “pick the company’s bones dry” (which seems like a harsh way to frame him trying to preserve his friend’s legacy) until *after* Joey had died.

[@readypickles]

But wasn’t Joey forced to sell his characters to Nathan? This would mean that Joey was very much alive at that point. And while Nathan Arch may have seen it as keeping his legacy alive, Joey, being the bitter man he is, probably saw it as just another person that betrayed him and took all he had left.

[@savageratentertainment]

yeahhh his theory is kind of off.....then again I noticed he's not a fantatic like he is with FNAF or even Nintendo so I don't expect thigns like this to be true good thing it's just a theory lol probably a wrong theory but a theory lol

[@MrHolodoc]

@@readypickles No, Nathan came up with the Idea *after* Joey died, he basically bought the Rights of the Cartoon since Joey was allready dead. And also don't forgot about the fact that Nathan bought Bendy in 1972, which was after Joey's Death in 1971. Honestly... how did he forget about that?

[@readypickles]

@@MrHolodoc Who did Nathan even buy them from at that point then? I’m unfamiliar with what rules apply there, but if Joey was dead, who does he pay to get the characters?

[@jinx5673]

@@readypickles At that point I think he’d be paying the government?

[@TBI217]

I would like you to note that Nathan Arch didn't get the characters after Joey Drew Studios went bankrupt, Nathan Arch got them after joey died making it impossible for Joey to sacrifice Tessa to the machine in spite.

[@TBI217]

After the closing of the studio when joey tried to bring allison back to sacrifice her in BATIM/bendy 1 she wrote back saying, no im not going to come back, thanks but no thanks. MatPat forgot this since the first game, but he made it a BIG DEAL in his videos for BATIM.

[@megansprinkle7697]

I like this game, as in I REALLY like this game. I think the way they made the story obvious and easily understandable, even to someone who doesn't know the lore or background that well was just amazing. I do admit that I don't fully agree with this theory yet, but it is definitely some food for thought. Also, Nathen Arch bought out the Bendy franchise AFTER Joey Drew's death, as we are told in his notes and audio logs.

[@cinnamoth_art]

I honestly assumed that Audrey was Henry's biological daughter and Joey used her in the experiment. Joey tricks Henry into the endless cycle of the machine and he takes his place in life. At the end of the first game we hear a young girl refer to him as "uncle Joey"

[@urmomsfavoruteboy]

ya but its stated in a note that joey made multiple Audreys attempting to get the “perfect daughter” aka to refer to him as “dad” , all of the other attempts referred him as “Uncle”

[@cinnamoth_art]

@@urmomsfavoruteboy ah, i must have missed that part!

[@sammyjaohnson5631]

It was explained that joey created audrey thats it

[@4lither]

Sounds like fnaf haha

[@RobertLewis-cy5no]

I guarantee MatPats room is actually a padded cell

[@noblesseoblige319]

It is. He has tons of sound proofing pads.

[@totallynotasupervillain9896]

@@recitationtohear you are a bot i saw you putting a link in another comment

[@ramonandrajo6348]

Someone is salty. XD

[@ramonandrajo6348]

@@noblesseoblige319 Someone is salty. XD

[@levelsofbrendan1167]

0:21 I thought that was leading into a bad theory joke.

[@alicedurand8411]

Matpat be like: Bendy is listed as his creation, despite the fact that HENRY created[…] 6:04 Me: Henry!? Fnaf !? Ah- right.. Bendy and the dark revival..

[@ashtonslater8429]

i really like how matpat gets straight to the point but i wished he did a joke at the beginning

[@dontreadprofilephoto1728]

*Ok_Dont_Read_My_Namess* 😑......

[@GhostW1thTheMost]

@@dontreadprofilephoto1728 ok

[@bubble_ross]

The joke was saying bendy could win game of the year

[@hamsterman8975]

He definitely didn't get right to the point He started explaining the theory almost half way into the video

[@minidreadproductions2566]

Bot comment

[@TheBrokenCode]

This has got to be Matpat’s Villain arc because he keeps questioning the lore and saying the games are lying to us 😂😂😂

[@memesfromdeepspace1075]

Vilain arc or enlightment arc

[@amethystskeels3788]

@@memesfromdeepspace1075 or midlife crisis

[@leaf7997]

Ma

[@aBIgailjacob14411]

Bro doesn’t know how to just accept stories as they are.

[@geomania8533]

So basically the memories we get are from 10 different souls that were used to make Audrey. Sorta in the Ink Machine, where in order to activate it, you need 6 items to place on the pedestals. Each item represents someone on the tapes.

[@alexxb2047]

Forcing Wilson to smile is more nightmarish than normal Wilson.

[@hemmet2]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but based on Nathan Arch's audio logs, Joey was dead before Arch purchased the Bendy and Co IP. I believe as Joey didn't have an heir to his estate, Arch would have had to have purchased the rights from Gent. Unless I'm missing something

[@staticman4113]

Yes, this is an incredible weakspot of the Theory because Joey died cannonically in 1971, before Mr. Arch bought Bendy in 1972. And hell, wouldn't Nathan/Wilson Arch atleast notice and mention his Wife/Mother missing? Wouldn't he atleast do something about it?

[@keenankozak7978]

Your are right

[@staticman4113]

And hell, the final Act where you play as the Ink Demon (because Audrey fused with him) is symbolic. Both Audrey and the Ink Demon are one and the same, both souless and from the Ink, but have gone on different Paths and Choices.

[@am3thysts]

Unless I missed something, I don’t think that the memory items actually correlate to who Audrey is. It’s more like scraps of others’ memories in this ink world for Audrey to find, especially since she says nothing about the objects herself. Basically, if the memory of Joey Drew is here and alive, how do we know those objects aren’t pieces of others’ memories instead?

[@hazelharry2033]

The main thing that seems to point towards that is Audrey recognising the items and picking them up. There are a _lot_ of random items and memories in the game relating to other characters, like the paintings you need to gather at some point. But only the collectibles are the ones she notices, seemingly recognises, and keeps with her. I think that's a strong enough point to indicate it has to do with Audrey herself

[@am3thysts]

@@hazelharry2033 I get this argument, and that’s a fair point. However, a counter argument is that there are also tons and tons of games, books, and movies where this is exactly how finding lore objects work. You can find things from Oblivion in Skyrim and you can collect those items, although the Dragonborn has no direct lore connection to those artifacts and hypothetically has no idea what some of them are. You collect and take the tapes in FNAF VR even though it has nothing to do with your own character, or collect random discs on Security Breach although it only points to other characters, so you have no incentive to pick them up otherwise. Clary from Shadowhunters stops to examine a clockwork angel necklace and deeply considers it, and it belonged to another character in a prequel, but it had nothing to do with her and was an Easter egg. Harry Potter stops to look at every photo of his parents or scraps of memories of them, but none of the photos are of his own memories. Etc. 😁

[@chorus151]

One thing to consider: the achievement for collecting all 10 memories is called "Self Discovery." That seems to be a suggestion from the developers that these are, indeed, memories from Audrey's soul, or at least related to her.

[@Madame_Talos]

I think maybe it's a bit of both. I think Joey used fond memories of his and others to help create Audrey. Shortly after you find the hotdog, you can find an audio recording from Nathan Arch talking about buying a hotdog and enjoying life.

[@aarushikishore1417]

idr properly for other objects but audrey did say about the duck

[@ExplodingJellyfish]

I didn't expect matpat to dunk on Pokemon Scarlet/Violet out of nowhere like that and I love it. I enjoyed the game but I agree it's a damn mess.

[@ShortBoiXD]

Have you ever noticed that alice has 2 voices in chapter 3 of the first game?

[@St3ely]

5:23 THE CUTOFF 😭

[@HANKSANDY69420]

*BOT!!!*

[@Youheeep]

XD

[@PartsOfABox]

BUT YA DIDN’T HAVE TO CU-

[@counterattack248]

Remember the quote back in Batim. *"The Creator lied to us!"* And if you look at them with the lens... *"Joey lied to us!"*

[@leannerichards3856]

Thank you Mat! I do enjoy your theories (in my opinion they’re one of the best type of theories I’ve ever seen) so please continue all the love ❤️

[@greedier-7661]

Well again problem with this theory. 1. We see recreation of Tessa in the game in form of the Wilson's maid 2.Joe Drew was dead when Nathan bought rights for Bendy 3.We see couple of early version of Audre in form of the hide and seek girl and teleporting guy that gave us that power. We even see how they were different because unsuccessful versions called Joe uncle and not father/dad, we even see in original bendy game how Early version of Audre called Joe uncle. Also It is much easier to understand that all the mementos were not for our main character but for Wilson and that would explain why she has no reaction to them.

[@testerwulf3357]

It's confirmed the maid is his mother?? He just says she reminds him OF her...not that she literally is her; which makes sense, she cares for him (that's what maids do) which reminds him of his mother who was the only one to care for him and pay attention to him. Also, is the hide and seek girl and teleport guy really early versions?? I'm pretty sure they aren't and it's hinted the previous versions were either killed and thrown back into the machine to create another go around or had short life spans or something..I don't see why they'd be alive and kicking in the ink world, it'd be odd; unless it's confirmed that seems speculation at best?? If they're just for wilson what's the point in collecting them y'know? It's just pretty random if she isn't connected to them for any reason I guess

[@beef3442]

@@testerwulf3357 yeah I think this guy is off his rocker but Matpat’s theory is still likely incorrect

[@conorgillingham2564]

I really don’t see how Hidei and Porter are versions of Audrey. If they were then they would have at least some similarities. It doesn’t really make sense.

[@mrreyes5004]

@@conorgillingham2564 Not really. The point is that they DON'T have similarities to Audrey, that's exactly why they would be considered failures. Heidi and Porter are both innocently child-like with almost no concern for the world around them, both of them are two of the only other Ink characters with special powers (everyone else has to get by with weapons besides the Ink Demon), and they are two of the only Lost Ones who are not hostile to Audrey at all. They are clearly distinct from other denizens of the Cycle who weren't there for Henry's original story, which could be explained by them being Joey's adoptive children who didn't quite fit the mold of a complete human child and were therefore sent into the Ink Machine with special abilities to help protect themselves.

[@demations5177]

He’s not off the rocker lol. Heidi and Porter could very well be failed attempts (go watch super horror bro’s theory on that) also it is true Betty reminds Wilson of his mother. You’re right on most things, but he ain’t off his rocker lol.

[@Veronica_kelly]

I would just like to say that this theory couldn't be right because joey made audrey before he died but nathon arch bought the rights to the bendy characters after joey dies, so joey would have no reason to use tessa to make audry. Other than that i liked the theory.

[@mrreyes5004]

There's also the fact that the Ink Joey that Audrey meets in the Cycle is explicitly NOT the real Joey. Even IF the real Joey was a remorseless liar, that doesn't mean that this carries over to the Ink Joey in the Cycle. Especially because the real Joey died in the outside world, so the fake Ink Joey's personality has nothing to do with any lies that the real Joey committed in Joey's later years (further proven by the fact that Ink Joey takes Joey's much younger form). This basically means that the Ink Joey technically ISN'T lying to Audrey, because as far as he knows, it is indeed the genuine truth. And it also ironically means that a so-called "memory" of Joey actually has more sincerity and emotions than the so-called "real" Joey ever had.

[@liliespetals19]

Not exactly, they aren't mutually exclusive. The theory is Joey's studio is bankrupt, he asks Nathan for money and doesn't get it. The studio closes. The first game shows that Joey still had the ink machine in the 60s, at any point he could have killed Tessa to create Audrey, we don't know how old she is or if she ages normally. Joey dies in the 70s, during which Nathan purchases the rights. Everything lines up.

[@martinkredl3794]

@@mrreyes5004 Isnt ink Joey supposed to be from that documentary about Joey Drew?

[@goldyoutube7663]

@@recitationtohear Here is a cup of milk UNTIL ALL WERID BOTS STOP SPAMMING CRINGE THINGS AROUND KZbin

[@wolfechan2]

The betrayal was that Nathan wouldn't loan Joey the money that could potentially save his life's work (so that Nathan could take it over for himself). Unless Joey dropped dead the day after he sent the letter to ask, he would've been alive to go through the bankruptcy and have a motive to specifically take Tessa to make Audrey, allowing him to die with some semblance of happiness.

[@frenziedfox2511]

I love this idea. However, a few question come to mind, Matt. 1: Betty. What's her role in this? If Joey really just used Tessa Arch's soul, that wouldn't explain Betty being rather prominent in act 5. 2: Audrey is possibly Joey's greatest creation, a being made of ink and flesh. Joey's last lines though stand out. Not just him talking to Audrey and trying to save her, but "A pencil and a dream isn't enough. You need a heart". So the flesh side of Aubrey may be because she has a heart. Or perhaps /multiple/ souls in her. When i was going through the game, i was wondering if Joey really was Aubrey's father. Occam's razor idea here. She clearly is the one connected to him somehow. What if his story was true and Aubrey is flesh and ink because Joey and Allison Pendle were both used to create Aubrey? She never knew either of her parents after all.

[@annicaedula8129]

Bro you could literally become a detective with this skill

[@wrigzreanimates3397]

No lie I was waiting for days for MatPat to cover this game. I could almost hear him in my ear: “The dark puddles whisper me secrets. They whisper me LOOOOOOOORRRE!!!”

[@solidonseraindogthetenth1679]

THE LOOOOOOOOooooooore! (fading echoes.)

[@user-Jay178]

Glad you are covering this game. Love your content Matpat

[@dontreadprofilephoto1728]

*Ok_Dont_Read_My_Namess* 😑......

[@DuckGoesViral]

everyone is a bot

[@Pancakeliker]

It was inevitable

[@guizintheinsect5022]

@@DuckGoesViral yeah,it's complicated to enjoy the comments section when there are bots everywhere

[@seid3366]

He probably wanted to give us new content until the gtlive lp of this is done

[@blueblurfan6303]

6:55 joey with a gun has me dying of laughter

[@Oakley_-]

The fact that matpat still hasn't done a theory on murder drones is unbelievable

[@yassinefarah2423]

The thing about Joey and Allison's friendship also not making sense is the fact her arrival in the studio leads to Susie Campbell no longer being the voice actress for Alice Angel, leading to her eventual demise at Joey hands.

[@CaptainCat101]

Crazy to think that Bendy is 5 years old. What an amazing journey It's also a massive relief that the game wasn't rushed and glitchy

[@shacharlem4424]

It does have a pause screen problem.

[@Clouded_flowers]

I would hope that a short game that was pushed back for about 2-3 years

[@sleepyghostistired7344]

Isn't Bendy ageless? I search it up on what his canon age, and it said that he's ageless. But anyone can see him at any age. Or do you mean as the in the game, then yeah the game is about 5 years old (Sorry I get confused easily

[@sleepyghostistired7344]

Isn't Bendy ageless? I search it up on what his canon age, and it said that he's ageless. But anyone can see him at any age. Or do you mean as the in the game, then yeah the game is about 5 years old (Sorry I get confused easily

[@CaptainCat101]

@@sleepyghostistired7344 I meant the game. Sorry for not being specific

[@Pomni_TADC989]

6:41. When drew says wait why am I down here is so funny

[@rachelamber3227]

Wow. I’ve been a fan of bendy since it came out 4 years ago. I can’t believe it’s been 5 years!! I also cant believe they published books…may have to check them out now that I know they exist

[@cameronhodgetts920]

But didn't you guys theorise that Allison was made of ink before the games confirmed it? In Joey's house at the end of Ink Machine, there is a letter from her and Tom saying that things are going well for them at Archgate Studios.

[@mindblownstudios2027]

6:55 For some reason the image of Joey pointing a gun at the camera is hilarious

[@spideybot]

@gametheoristt-On-Tele_Gram SCAMMMEr

[@GabbaGooober]

Bot lol

[@GabbaGooober]

Not you tho

[@galacticpheonix5328]

11:42 I think you mean there was a DARK revival for them

[@rosed5637]

This is so nostalgic lol I remember being such a big fan as a kid and Im glad I re discovered it

[@Lxttlecomfey]

Few little observations 1) So Henry from the first game is meant to be an inky recreation of Henry, presumably without a soul. If that’s the case, how come he can touch the ink? Allison in the first game even said “we’re not like you Henry” and proceeds to describe how her and Tom couldn’t cross the ink because they didn’t have a soul and were made purely of ink, but Henry could since he, presumably, did have a soul. If he was just an inky recreation of Henry, he would be soulless, and therefore couldn’t touch the ink. Perhaps Joey is lying about that Henry being a recreation? (Or a continuity error) 2) While Matpat says that Joey is also torturing Allison, I don’t think he is, at least not the real one. Again, pointing out that scene from chapter 5 where Allison said they couldn’t cross the ink river because they weren’t like Henry. That would imply that both Allison and Tom are soulless, so there isn’t any way that Allison in the ink world is the real Allison

[@jacksondavies3595]

Even in his original theories, he said Allison was a soulless attempt at recreating Allison Pendle, not the real one.

[@user-hd4mq2bv1e]

@@jacksondavies3595 I mean, doesn’t we know that Alison is alive, cause in the end of BATIM we can see her letter to Joey in his flat after a long years? There she mentiones Thomas too.

[@neiiima]

Maybe the ink Henry was designed to go through the ink? Then again, that’s just a speculation…

[@holyroman6541]

Look at ink Henry, and then look at ink Allison and Tom. They were created in completely different ways - Allison and Tom are *too* inky, as seen by them still being Bendy characters (Alice and Boris), while Henry looks like, well, *himself* with just some ink on him. Besides, we kind of know that since both Henry and Audrey are soulless creations but can cross through ink, they're just built different from the rest.

[@Lxttlecomfey]

@@holyroman6541 kinda hard to say- after all, while the story has established a clear difference between ink creatures with and without a soul, they’ve never really explicitly showed us ink creatures without a soul being able to touch ink. After all, the main trait of soulless ink creatures is that they can’t touch the ink,,,, it’d be a little weird to just have ONE soulless ink creature who can touch it

[@StarryInkArt]

Yes finally! Someone is mentioning this! The story seemed alittle too suspicous for a old Bendy fan like me. Joey is a huge liar and I think he is lying about everything even being Audreys daughter because he wants to make himself look nice to everyone, like he saw himself, but no one saw him as! Also me and my friends have thought think he lied to Audrey about her being his daughter because he wants to get her on his side, like him and may still have a grudge aganist Henry even in hus Inky form. He is a well known liar to his employees/ to the fans who read the books and nothing he says should be trusts including everything he says about the studio and his backstory. Me and my friends have been talking about this nonstop since it came out and there so many points! I cant wait to see whats next in this series! Thankyou Matpat! 😊💙

[@hereisthefullvid8934]

Link to the Clip : - They finally released this kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHa7m4Woid-HnbM !

[@joshuakim5240]

I thought that the Joey Drew we see was never even close to the real Joey, but rather the Ink Machine's caricature of him based on his many propaganda messages and slogans, resulting in a wildly inaccurate Joey Drew copy that isn't like the real one's backstabbing, wrathful, petty, narcissistic, cheap, vengeful garbage of a person we're all familiar with. Considering how the real Joey died outside of the Ink Machine, the real him isn't present to take up the caricatures that the machine is spewing out, so the result is that the only thing that the Ink Machine has to a template for Joey is all of his many fake-positive lies. The irony is that this fake Joey has way more self-awareness than the real one, actually having the ability to self-reflect because he's based on Joey's fake image of an upbeat and honest man. However, because he's based on Joey, he doesn't actually know what the real Joey knows so it's also possible, if not likely, that the fake Joey thinks that the real Joey's mile-long list of lies aren't lies so he's unintentionally deceiving Audrey because he doesn't know how much of Joey's words are a load of bull, and what are bits of truth.

[@someone-xh9sz]

A vid that actually talks about this, not like the rest. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3THcmeYf6Z6fc0

[@mrreyes5004]

@@joshuakim5240 That sounds accurate, tbh. The Ink Joey in the game isn't technically lying, because the Ink version of Joey genuinely believes what he's saying. There's also the silver lining that this means that the fake Joey DOES genuinely love Audrey as a daughter, unlike the real Joey who probably just used her as an experiment. Meaning that an incomplete fake has more sincerity and emotions than the supposed real deal.

[@LightMoon7890]

@@joshuakim5240 finally someone else brings that up

[@adamtom1203]

MatPat has gone crazy. Every game he had popular theories on. All of them dont exist. They all lied.

[@_Exalted_]

I’m glad we found out who that mystery tape was now that Wilson was officially revealed

[@strelitziamystery21]

Personally I was hoping that if Audrey had anyone's soul it would be Dot. I haven't kept up too well with the books but I'm pretty sure she hasn't been seen since the Dreams come to Life book. And in that one it's implied that she could of escaped, at least Buddy thinks so. Honestly the only piece of evidence for this is the Baseball ball. It's signed by Buddy Louis which is close to the name Buddy Lewik, the protagonist from Dream's come to life. Maybe the ball would give dejavu to Dot's soul? Kinda like how in Boris and the Dark Survival you have to collect stuff for creepy collage because it reminds Boris of being human. That's my theory anyways.

[@lukasbastiaansen352]

Exactly what i thought

[@riskopalfi801]

@@lukasbastiaansen352 Not sure, because I think Dot escaped at the end. The question is what did she do then?

[@auraandblocky1574]

5:13 Dream what are you doing here?! You're from the other fandom!

[@VicenteYt07]

I love how he used picture in the begging plus I loved the part where bendy was holding a book that said bendy lore

[@Imaproshaman7]

Oh wow, neat. That game series was really cool and unique. Glad to know that there's gonna be a sequel! Also, it's been 5 years? Damn. Great video as always.

[@simplycookie3315]

Just one thing I'd like to mention, there are others like Andrey, there were other children to Joey. These are most likely the two lost ones that aren't so lost. Porter and the uh hide and seek lady. These two has ability to give Andrey their power. In Which most can't be given these powers, so they have a special connection to Andrey. Plus even if they weren't the children, Joey has made multiple children before reaching Audrey so with each child made, in your theory all of them needs a soul, so unless he has multiple souls at he's disposable. He wouldn't have been able to make so many children

[@justice8718]

They're Joey's children because he's given them a piece of his own soul. Even Bendy himself is merely Joey's child.

[@hatakeaui7407]

5:40 that laugh is how am I laughing now.

[@morgan736]

Just want to point out the very first cutscene of the entire DLC perfectly parallels this entire theory of Joey Drew’s past coming back to haunt him.

[@GhostTheJoker]

In the original bendy I just realized. There has to be a reason why Henry is so calm about seeing the Ink almagamations, it's as though he's seen them before. As though he was one of them at a point and escaped

[@elitegamer9310]

Joey wasn't forced to sell the rights/assets of his studio to Nathan. Joey kept ownership of it all until his death. Nathan Arch bought it all after Joey's death to preserve his old friend's legacy. At least that's what Nathan always says in his audio logs.

[@Rose_6564]

16:14 I hate and love how matpat made Joey’s mustache look like a smile-

[@HANKSANDY69420]

*lmfao-*

[@ardabaki4597]

I like how the bottom standart for games these days are nor t having too many major bugs

[@SquishMTR]

Bro cannot comprehend a game that actually tells the story it wants to tell

[@psygamez7727]

15:28 I spit out my water Never say that again Mathew

[@mikehawk1856]

About Joey handing over the rights to the characters, I’m pretty sure he didn’t do it when he was alive as he died and then Arch bought it to persevere the name and reboot the franchise. Joey also Died happy because of Audrey but I haven’t finished the video so I’ll edit this to see. Edit: a massive flaw is the memories, these may be memories but who’s to say it’s Audrey’s Memories. These are just objects of the past that meant something to someone, so some makes sense to belong to Wilson as he has taken control of the Ink World for close to a year. But what about the other memories like the “Bud Louis” baseball, paper airplane,etc. The memories your saying can be found in Wilson’s place so obv it makes sense to be connected to him while the Crayon can be chalked up with the artists.

[@boptie]

I agree!

[@Thatoneautisticguy1945]

14:09 hes lossing it💀

[@da_queen4174]

Okay but I’d feel like we need more about Allison, Alice, and Tom in the new game.

[@vamikah123]

5:29 “Matpat amongus isn’t real, Matpat amongus can’t hurt you.” Matpat amongus: ✨ S U S P I C I O U S L O R E ✨

[@vamikah123]

@@guyslook6250 bot

[@darkpro_xgm]

WHEN THE IMPASTA IS SUS

[@SadClown418]

Imagine that Joey made his own version of henry to torture, then when the real henry died his soul transferred into his inky version and he was like "ayo-- is this the afterlife?".

[@silas8779]

I like the goop monster in the back like "Tf you mean don't mind them"

[@HTFWSFWWE]

The theory that Joey took Allison's soul contradicts your previous theory that Allison Angel and Tom Boris don't have souls unlike the rest of the ink characters which is why Allison and Tom couldn't travel through the ink because once a rain drop falls into the ocean it can't be a rain drop anymore, despite the fact all the other ink creatures could travel through the ink without any issue.

[@darrell4816]

6:36 Ink demon: hey you got any games on your phone?

[@Alireza-tg7ip]

At this point MatPat makes me believe I shouldn't trust any character in video games

[@poopyfart89]

don't trust the pig from bad piggies! there evil BIRDS :O

[@lizhart861]

Just ordered the coffee mug. I'm so excited! I love this channel

[@sumintrawilliams3677]

The most anxiety inducing part of this game was the interaction with Wilson.

[@XParasiteOctoling]

The biggest crime of this game is not utilizing Sammy and killing him off again

[@senacario5942]

His death was hilarious

[@insidestory6995]

Here is the recommend clips that say it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3rZhIGbmtebiKM..

[@duckman9327]

@@senacario5942best part of the game

[@dollas8209]

If you think about it Wilson is the only in game character we have seen thats made of flesh and blood.

[@beargreen1]

The place of revival of Bendy and the Dark comes to arise once again to the hands of Gamer Theorist MatPat!

[@screamingpenguin854]

Great theory as always! Ik this will most likely get buried, but i just wanted to share some thoughts i had about the whole thing, especially joey’s slideshow. I’m actually not entirely sure it may be a lie. I think it’s likely that joey created the ink world and a false Henry, and helped him with a version of Allison, but i don’t think the Henry we play as in BATIM is that false Henry, shown by the dates, the real-life segment, the fact that, apart from Joey’s memory, he is the only person there that looks entirely human, and the fact that he can wade through the ink river when Allison and Tom can’t at the end of chapter 5. I think the Henry we play as is the real Henry, lured to the studio as we originally thought, either through Joey’s malice or maybe Joey wanted to show us the ink machine to confess to what he’d done, but also to show Henry how he had a daughter, but for some reason, he couldn’t show up, and the ink demon found Henry first. More evidence to support that we play as the real Henry after false Henry is the ending. At the end of the first playthrough, we can play through the game again with the lens of truth. This is on the 414th cycle. Why only then and not from the 2nd cycle? I think something changed, which allowed Henry to retain the lens at the end, whether it was Allison giving it to him in the first place, maybe she found false Henry in different circumstances and didn’t jail him. Or something else later on that meant he lost the lens. This could also be the deterioration of the cycle, as Joey says, it plays over and over, but wears down. But i think it’s bigger. As for Allison Angel. I think either could be true. She could be a creation of the ink for false Henry, or she could be a punishment for the real Allison, but it’s clear she hasn’t just sprung into existence when we first meet her. She has a hideout, a friend, a weapon, and lots of knowledge and experience in the ink world, which she clearly wasn’t created with, as she tells Audrey “I remember my first day down here”. There are still some holes in this. Why does Henry seem to start in the ink world? Unlike in BATDR, the whole world is sepia from the start, and he just falls through the floor, as opposed to Audrey, who gets dragged into the machine’s ink. That I’m not sure about, it also seems possible that he’s there from the start, evident by the presence of the ink demon, but then why is he turning on the machine? Why does he have no memory of coming into the ink world, or show any surprise to the different colours and textures (although to be fair Audrey shows no surprise at this either, which could mean it’s just shrugged off, but she was also pretty occupied about freaking out over how her hands were made of ink now). Also, Henry mentions not having eaten for years, which also is weird. And what makes Henry different to Audrey and Wilson. Both of them are covered in ink and have glowing eyes, etc, etc. why is Henry completely normal? But i digress, i could say more, but this comment is already waay too long so I’m going to stop here. :)

[@Blacklightplush]

You came up with some pretty interesting points

[@carrieromberger8640]

MatPat destroyed his old theory, where the ink creations that melted away, hence why Allison Pendle and Tom couldn’t cross the river. So does that mean the ink creation of Allison Pendle was intended to be an ink creation that would take Henry, like in the old game, but Henry wouldn’t escape the “cell” and would die.

[@cupcakecede]

If Audrey is Tessa, that makes Betty's line hit a little harder. Remember, she said Wilson told her that she reminded him of his mother.

[@DerpyPotion]

when you made wilson smile in the maiden and the mug it looked terrifying

[@shark2349]

i'd actually like to see matpat theorize when exactly the timelines of pokemon scarlet and violet split (or more likely which one came first chicken and egg question) considering that timetravel could influence it

[@ltdexey9126]

15:05 This describes Game Thery perfectly

[@conorgillingham2564]

The main problem with this theory is that it assumes that this version of Audrey is the first attempt. It is confirmed in one of the games notes that there were failures, those who would call Joey uncle, and if this is hard to believe then look at the ending of BATIM. Where we see a little girl call Joey uncle.