Everyone and their grandmother knows what Five Nights at Freddy’s is or has at least heard of it. Scott Cawthon’s horror franchise is a bit of a phenomenon, being ten years old this year and boasting so many games, books, and a movie (with a sequel to follow). We all know what Five Nights at Freddy’s is now, but how did it begin? What are its roots?
With the tenth anniversary celebration upon us, I can’t think of a better time to dive into the history of FNAF. You might even learn a thing or two that you had no idea about the franchise. Let’s go all the way to the beginning, and to do that, we actually need to look at a particular game known as Chipper & Sons Lumber Co., a previous game Scott Cawthon created.
The resource management game first came out in 2013 for mobile devices, with a PC release to follow in 2015. Now, I can hear you asking, “What on Earth does this have to do with Five Nights at Freddy’s?” Well, dear readers, without the poor critical reception to this game, we might not have one of the best horror game franchises in existence today. You see, the main character of Chipper & Sons looks like an animatronic. People described Chipper’s appearance as scary, even if it was unintentional. One look at Chipper and I have to agree; he gives serious Talking Tom vibes, who I also believe could transition to the horror genre, but I’ll talk about that another time.
While the disappointment of having his game slammed was undeniable, it did turn the cogs in Cawthon’s mind, as he used the feedback to create Five Nights at Freddy’s, releasing the very first FNAF game in August 2014. As with many indie games, it had a modest start, but then the power of the internet struck – YouTubers left and right began to jump on it, particularly well-known ones such as PewDiePie and Markiplier.
Since 2014, the first FNAF game has gone on to scare many gamers across many platforms. Those of you playing on PC and mobile got to experience it the year it came out, but Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One players wouldn’t get to see what all the fuss was about until 2019 – all they knew was that this game was the start of something special.
Storywise, there isn’t too much to it in the first game, though the protagonist does have a tough go of it. You play as FNAF’s Mike Schmidt, a very unlucky security guard who works the graveyard shift at a pizzeria where the animatronics come to life at night, stalking the rooms and hallways. You can’t do anything about it except sit in the security office and keep an eye on them via the cameras, using point-and-click gameplay. You also have a light switch next to the door to the office, which you can use to see if there’s an animatronic lurking around the corner.
If you’re too late, it’s time for a jumpscare, and honestly, everyone remembers their first FNAF jumpscare. Mine was from Chica. It made me smack my knee on the desk and shoot milk from my nose. I became desensitized to the jumpscares fairly quickly, but I can’t deny the impression the initial one made. The simplicity of it all is what makes the game so enjoyable.
Cawthon had struck gold, and he knew it. Just a few short months later, in November 2014, he released the sequel (with FNAF 3 and FNAF 4 also arriving before the first game was a year old), and thus began a decade-long streak of domination, turning the little indie game into a prominent force with many sequels and spin-offs of which there are ten mainline entries. You’d think that given little changes in the gameplay over the first few games, it would feel repetitive and dull, but that couldn’t be further from the truth – though I won’t deny how much I enjoy Security Breach for the freedom it affords you.
Putting the gameplay aside, there’s so much more to FNAF than those simple jump scares. In terms of lore, Five Nights at Freddy’s can even rival games like Dark Souls, featuring narratives that are so convoluted that even Sherlock Holmes would have a blank expression. The lore and story are a huge part of why FNAF remains so popular today; there’s so much to know about all of the FNAF characters, especially as many, like FNAF’s Freddy and FNAF’s Chica, appear in numerous games.
Of course, as you all know, Five Nights at Freddy’s transcends videogames, and it might surprise you at just how quickly it ventured into other media, becoming a fully-established franchise. In 2015, the first FNAF novel (Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Silver Eyes) came out, the first of many books, with comics and graphic novels to follow. Then there’s all of the merchandise. There are so many figures, plushes, and Funko Pops that it’s impossible to keep track of them all.
Come 2017, talks for a FNAF movie began with Blumhouse Productions ultimately securing the rights and releasing the film in 2023, though the fan reactions to the film are fairly mixed. Some believe it to be enjoyable, with a good amount of Easter eggs for longtime fans, while others question how you can class it as a horror. Honestly, I can see both sides of that argument, as while I enjoy the film, it’s far from scary, but considering how many kids love FNAF, it’s not exactly going to get the Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey treatment.
Despite the questionable reception of the movie, the future continues to look bright for Scott Cawthon’s franchise, with new games, movies, figures, comics, books, and more still to come. Personally, I’m excited to play Into the Pit, which just might be the first FNAF game to genuinely freak me out – I won’t know for sure until I play it, of course, but I have a good feeling about that one. Mind you, there’s yet to be a new FNAF game that disappoints me. Heck, the upcoming Roblox horror game Five Nights at Freddy’s Survival Crew might be what finally makes me fully embrace the platform.
If you want even more history lessons, we’re more than happy to tell you about Animal Crossing and Tamagotchi spin-off games.