Theory: How Leith Pierre might survived the Hour of Joy
This is completely an assumption but still, here me out
When Project Playtime first came out, many people thought that Leith Pierre survived the HOJ because he was the one giving orders in the game but Chapter 4 ARG hinted that Project Playtime might take place after the Theatre Incident. Though it is not confirmed, the possibility of him survive is still out there and Project Playime might still take place after the HOJ but the real question is:
How did he survived?
Chapter 5 ARG show how some of the HOJ survivors, Jessica Newman and Preston Willard, managed to escape the massacre and hide from the toys for days before they were found. They talked about the "Executives Elavators" which apparently lead to an emergency exit but they seemed rather hesitate whether that even exists.
The fact that it was pointed out might have hinted that it does exist and that may be how Leith and the other executives might survive. Not to mention, he has an Omni Hand which gives him more chances of escaping. We didn't know whether Stella or the Warden survived, especially since the Warden's life was in the hands of the Doctor and it's likely he'll let him live, so perhaps the Omni Hand is not enough for survival during the Hour of Joy.
The Prototype was very careful in making sure no one escaped, whether it would be a toy or an employee. We've seen in one of the Chapter 5 tapes where the Prototype forced the toys to kill the innocent employees just so they wouldn't leave the factory. That's why the only CONFIRMED survivor of the HOJ is Eddie M. N. Rittermen and the Player, who are confirmed not to be at the factory when the HOJ happened. So what are the chances he would let a present guilty employee, the man who greenlighted the entire project, Leith Pierre, leave? Unless, it would benefit him...
Leith and the Prototype strike a deal
Leith is a businessman and a very persuasive one. That is very much established from his tone, his personality and all of his tapes. The Prototype might appear as a "vigilante" who killed the employees to free the toys but Chapters 4 & 5 prove that might not be true, he let Harley Sawyer live and continued the experiments for a hidden agenda. Not to mention, he happily tortured and killed toys who disobeyed him or did not agree with him. It's clear his sense of justice is twisted. He appeared to have only done it for Poppy and himself, even CatNap isn't spared to be sacrifice for his benefit. So, what's stopping him from striking a deal with Leith?
The Better Place and the Orphans
From the recent art and the Prototype's dialogue during Lily's Tea Party, Better Place seems to be an actual place.
But how could the Prototype sustain it? The orphans, whether as humans or toys, still need to eat. After 10 years, the corpses will run out and they will need to eat each other, just like the other toys in the factory. I don't think the Prototype would want the orphans to eat one another, he wants to fight the loneliness that comes with his immortality, which is why he's obsessed with Poppy, the only one who lived eternally like him. So, he would need to keep the orphans alive and well which requires food and water to do so. Since the Better Place appears to be an underground city, it would need a lot of power and water to keep it alive, especially if they have an underground garden which might use the same gardening method as the poppy garden in the labs.
Backup generators may not be enough to keep the city alive for 10 years and if the Prototype wants to stay in the factory forever, he needs a way to make sure that the factory remain access to power and water for as long as possibly, which I think where Leith Pierre comes in.
Electricity and Water in exchange of Freedom
I don't have much evidence, but I do believe in the possibility of the Prototype sparing Leith Pierre in exchange for him making sure that the factory is still running. The Prototype is cruel, but he's also smart. He would know that living in the factory is not possible without electricity or water, especially with the possibility of an army swarming through the factory. The Bigger Bodies might be strong, but if the government were involved, they would stand no chance against tanks or bombs or even trained soldiers.
Leith Pierre could present this possibility to the Prototype, how more outsiders might get involved and destroy the factory, making it impossible for the Prototype to live freely. So, he asked for his freedom and in return, he would make sure that the factory would still be running with no military or outsiders involved. He might only ask for his own life, which would still make Stella be Prototype's toy still a possibility or... Leith would use Stella's life as a hostage for the Prototype.
Leith may or may not know Stella's involvement with the Hour of Joy, but it doesn't matter: he would do anything to survive, even at the cost of his employees and friends. The offer he presented to the Prototype is also too good to be true. At least the Prototype wouldn't worry about resources and energy. He might keep this a secret from the toys and especially Harley Sawyer, who would want to kill Leith above all else. The Prototype is good at making propaganda. We've seen him spreading propaganda news to portray himself as a saviour and the rebels as the villains, so if the toys knew that he let go of the CEO of Playtime Co, there would be a riot and Harley Sawyer may go berserk and uncontrollable.
So, I believe the Prototype faked Leith's death so that the toys and Harley may not be suspicious, since in the Q&A, Harley appeared to believe that Leith was dead. The Prototype lets Leith live so that Leith can make sure that the factory can remain running and undisturbed, which is why in the opening letter, it is said that the employees "disappeared" and no authorities seem to investigate why. The case appeared closed, almost like a cover-up. This could be done by Eddie, whom we know is still alive but it could also be done by Leith.
If my theory is somehow correct, this could showcase just how messed up the Prototype's sense of justice is and it might be the driving force for Harley Sawyer to ally with us. This could also be a motive for Harley to escape the factory, to kill Leith and Eddie while reclaiming his work. If Stella was turned into a toy, she might be the one who tells us all of this once we get to the Better Place. This could also set up a sequel where we went to the second factory to face Leith and Eddie for their crime.
What do you guys think? Is this too far-fetched? Or could it be possible? I am 50/50 about this, Leith could still be dead or got turned into a toy as a punishment, but with how he was haunting the factory with his tapes since Chapter 1, I like to believe he would have a unique fate.
