Creator of 'Five Nights at Freddy's' retired after being “cancelled” by controversy

Scott Cawthon, creator of the popular horror game series 'Five Nights At Freddy's', announced his retirement from the gaming industry. The developer's decision comes on the seven-year anniversary of the premiere trailer for the first title in the saga, but also after being at the center of a controversy with fans for publicly supporting – including financially – several controversial republican politicians, including the former president of the United States. United States (USA), Donald Trump.

“I have had a blessed, fulfilling and rich career,” Cawthon wrote in a statement posted on his personal website. “I have received great kindness and I have tried to show great kindness in return. I've tried to make some good games (let that be debated), and I've witnessed the creation of possibly the most creative and talented fan base on the planet."

Creator of 'Five Nights at Freddy's' retired after being “cancelled” by controversy — Five Nights At Freddy's. Image: Steel Wool Studios/Disclosure

Cawthon has recently been heavily criticized after financial records released by the OpenSecrets website showed that he donated around $36 (approximately R$ 182) to US politicians considered controversial by several people, including Trump and the leader of the Republican Party in the Senate. federal, Mitch McConnell. This sparked a public backlash against the developer, pointing out that the developer publicly supports political figures deemed "racist and anti-LGBTQ".

“I would like to think that the last seven years would have given me the benefit of the doubt in terms of trying to treat people, but there I was trending on Twitter for being homophobic, getting trashed and people threatening to come to my house.” wrote Cawthon. "All because I exercised my right and duty as an American citizen to vote and support the candidates I feel could better govern the country for all, and for that I will not apologize."

Cawthon also emphasized that the candidates who received the funds included a mix of "men, women, whites, blacks, Republicans and Democrats." According to OpenSecrets, only one of the 18 donations was made to a Democratic candidate: Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who received $2.500.

He also explained that the donation made to then-President Donald Trump in 2020 was confirmed. “I believed he was the best man to feed a strong economy and face America's enemies abroad, which are many,” said the developer. “I am a Republican. I am a christian. I'm pro-life. I believe in god. I also believe in equality, science and common sense. Despite what some might say, all these things can go together. This is not an apology or a promise of change, that's how it's always been.”

The above excerpt, as noted by Technology Refugee, it was originally posted on Reddit and later included in Cawthon's official website retirement announcement. However, the quote is currently blocked in the forum thread and has been removed, without explanation, from the official placement.

Cawthon: "I got a lot of support from LGBTQ fans"

Much of Cawthon's cancellation came from the LGBTQIA+ fan base, which claimed the developer supported public figures considered "homophobic and transphobic". Still in the official announcement, he responded to the public reaction by claiming to “have love for the LGBTQ members of his fan base”, despite supporting powerful people who did everything to harm them.

“Even if there were candidates who had better things to say directly to LGBT unity and bigger promises to make, I believed that their positions on other issues would have ended up doing far more harm than good. All this explanation, I am afraid, is a waste, as people no longer want to argue with each other. They want endless apologies and submissions. The people who expect that from me will get nothing”, said the developer, who also stated that he has “received tremendous love and support from the LGBTQ unit”.

Future of 'Five Nights At Freddy's'

Looking ahead, Cawthon explained that he will hand over the reins of the franchise to "someone of my choice and someone I trust" while focusing on more personal projects. “Now that I'm turning 40, I realize that I miss a lot of things I'm going to focus on (…) I miss making games for my kids, I miss doing it just for fun, and I miss making RPGs, though I'm terrible”, he jokes.

“Is this the end of FNAF? No. It just means someone else will eventually walk the show, someone I choose and trust. We will have to wait and see how it all unfolds, but an announcement will be made at some point,” he stated.

Finally, he concludes by stating that he will return to the industry in the future “the hobby” and in sporadic projects. “I only ask that my fan base respect my decision. I will still be around, just not in the capacity that I used to be,” he concludes.

what the creator said, retirement does not mean the end of 'Five Nights at Freddy's'. The new title in the series, 'Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach', is scheduled to come out in 2021 for PlayStation 4 and 5 (see trailer below), as well as a film based on the story of the saga of the “cursed dolls”, which is in production by the Blumhouse studio.

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