In 2014, an indie horror game took the Internet by storm.
Everyone was rabbiting on about this scary title
in which you had to outfox a group of eerie animatronics.
Some people were too chicken to play it.
And many of those who did simply couldn't bear it
for a long!
see you on the flip side
Oh God.
what the fuck?
Almost a decade later,
this fearsome franchise has numerous sequel games,
various books and comics,
a range of merchandise,
and now, scheduled for release in October 2023,
is the first movie.
Can anyone stop the advance of these maniacal machines?!
Tell me how to stop them.
you don't!
it's too late
he's coming
More importantly,
does anyone want to stop them?
This is the evolution
of five nights at Freddy's!
In 2013, a family friendly mobile game was developed
and released by Scott Cawthon.
Titled ‘Chipper & Sons Lumber Co.’,
Its story followed Chipper,
a humanoid beaver,
and his son Tyke,
the player character,
as they completed objectives like collecting wood
during the daily operation of their lumber company.
Gameplay involved talking to other characters,
chomping trees, building things, and lots of different mini games.
It was intended as a cutesy little time filler,
but those who played it all seemed to settle on the same complaint:
The main beaver looked like “a scary animatronic animal!”
Reviewers like Jim Sterling said it made the game “unintentionally terrifying.”
While the game's creator, Scott Cawthon,
was initially wounded by this criticism,
he would ultimately use the feedback to create his most successful
and intentionally dark franchise to date!
Fun fact:
Before the jump scares,
Cawthon’s previous library of games included religious titles like
‘The Pilgrim's Progress’,
as well as wackier games such as ‘Fart Hotel’.
Now that’s scary!
Just one year after Chipper & Sons Lumber Co.,
Cawthon released Five Nights at Freddy's on August 8th, 2014.
The premise of Five Nights at Freddy's,
which is often abbreviated as FNaF,
centers around a fictional pizza restaurant called Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
This restaurant featured animatronic characters
that entertained patrons during the day.
However, at night, these uncanny robots become sentient
and roam the restaurant in search of blood!
Stepping into the shoes of Mike Schmidt,
a security guard with, hopefully, nerves of steel,
players are tasked with surviving a workweek from hell.
Five night stand between them and safety as they juggle watching security feeds,
slamming door shut, and using limited resources,
all to dodge the animatronics and avoid getting caught.
The classic animatronics present in the game are Freddy Fazbear,
the eponymous main villain;
Bonnie;
a rabbit animatronic;
Chica the chicken,
and Foxy;
a discontinued pirate Fox.
These four characters are major antagonists
throughout the main series of games,
though plenty of other animatronics have since been introduced
in various formats and styles.
The popularity of FNaF quickly grew thanks to its tense atmosphere
and jump scare filled gameplay,
which led to lots of funny reactions
from YouTubers captured during the playthroughs.
oh
oh no, Dad
no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
hold out just a little longer.
The game has also been praised for its mysterious and unsettling storyline,
with a narrative that has gradually unfolded across the various games
and through other types of media.
It usually involves dark and supernatural elements,
including the possession of animatronics by vengeful spirits.
The franchise's success has led to a dedicated fanbase,
numerous fan theories,
and a rich lore that continues to expand with each new installment.
There are even two distinct areas now recognized by fans:
the Clickteam Era,
which consists of the original five point and click games
made by Scott Cawthon using the Clickteam Fusion 2.5 software,
and the Steel Wool Era,
created by Scott Cawthon
with the help of production teams like Steel Wool Studios and Illumix.
Going back to the early days,
it wasn't long before a sequel was released for the original game,
named Five Nights at Freddy's 2.
In fact,
it launched just 87 days after the first game!
Talk about not letting the animatronic dust settle!
As soon as it launched,
YouTubers like Markiplier were all over it.
Markiplier's first dive into the game alone drew an impressive 58 million views!
where is the Chica? I seldom found Chica
wind it up, wind it up, wind it up
It played much like the original,
except the player now had different tools at their disposal.
Instead of relying on protective doors,
the player must employ an empty animatronic head
and a flashlight as their means of defense.
What's more,
the sequel introduced a crucial element in the form of a music box
that requires regular remote winding to avoid potential attacks
from a specific animatronic.
To deepen the storyline,
the game incorporated eight bit minigames too,
which trigger randomly upon a player's death
and offer cryptic clues about the game's lore.
FNaF 2 saw the first appearance of The Puppet and Balloon Boy animatronics
and introduced the toy version of the main antagonists,
with the classic versions returning as so-called ‘withered animatronics’.
The player also assumes a new role,
that of security guard Jeremy Fitzgerald.
Fun Fact:
Five Nights at Freddy's doesn't involve much dialogue,
which makes the phone call the player receives
at the start of the first two games a bit of a shock!
What you might not know
and what you may find even more shocking
is that the mysterious ‘Phone Guy’ on the other end
is actually the game's developer, Scott Cawthon!
Some of the things you can expect to see
during your first week here to help you get started down this new and exciting career path.
Less than four months later in the real world,
but 30 years after the closing of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza in-game,
a third FNaF title was released in March 2015.
Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 took place in
‘Fazbear's Fright: The Horror Attraction’.
Just like in previous games,
It's an indie point and click survival
in which the player must yet again survive the night.
However, this time the protagonist is not named,
and there is only one animatronic that can kill the player...
Springtrap!
There are no doors or lights to worry about, either.
Instead, the player must focus on audio cues and sealing off vents to survive,
as well as using a maintenance panel to reboot any systems
that happen to go offline.
The third game also introduced the character of William Afton,
the co-founder and owner of Fazbear Entertainment
and Afton Robotics, LLC.
His mummified remains are inside SpringTrap,
and Afton may or may not be the serial killer responsible
for most of the incidents and tragedies throughout the series!
Creator Scott Cawthon had originally intended for Five Nights at Freddy’s to be a trilogy
but following the negative reception the third game received
he decided to make a fourth game...
then a fifth and so on!
Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 originally subtitled,
‘The Final Chapter’, came out in July 2015.
Chronologically, it served as the first game in the series
and a prequel to FNaF 2.
This fourth game takes place in 1983,
and rather than being a security guard,
the player now takes on the role of a child.
In terms of gameplay,
it is noticeably different from previous titles,
taking place in a bedroom where you must avoid monstrous
and distorted versions of the familiar original foes.
Instead of using a monitor,
players must carefully inspect various elements of the room,
including the doors,
closet,
and bed,
while using a flashlight
to repel any nightmarish animatronics lurking outside.
Unlike earlier games with rapid screen switching and defensive norms,
FNaF 4 adopts a slower tempo
Acting prematurely without waiting
for the appropriate cues can quickly result
in a game over.
Though none of the FNaF games achieved overwhelmingly high ratings,
the fourth installment received the lowest acclaim with a critic score of just 51.
Destructoid clearly didn't appreciate the game and said,
“You'd be better served experiencing Five Nights at Freddy's 4
the way it was obviously intended to be enjoyed.
By going on YouTube and watching some twenty-five-year-old,
dressed like a fourteen-year-old,
scream and cry his way through the game like a seven-year-old.”
Fun Fact
After Night 5,
a cutscene reveals the chilling "Bite of '83" event.
It shows the crying child being bullied
and his head forced into the Fredbear animatronic.
But don't mix it up with the Bite of ’87
that's a whole other bite in the series!
was that the Bite of 87
In October 2016,
the franchise returned to a more familiar setting
with the release of Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location.
It featured a major change to its gameplay,
allowing players to free-roam and explore areas for the first time.
The setting, of course, was the “sister location,”
which was an underground facility known as Circus Baby's Pizza World.
Here, there's a new set of animatronic characters,
each with its own unique behavior and mechanics.
Making up the new creepy cast are Circus Baby,
Ballora,
begin audio prompt in three
Funtime Freddy,
Funtime Foxy,
and Ennard, among others.
The player can use a control pad to illuminate rooms
or shock animatronics.
A second pad in the breaker room manages facility power
and a flash beacon.
With power,
the Funtime Auditorium can be lit
helping to avoid lurking animatronics.
There are three distinct endings to Sister Location,
which are achieved by completing specific tasks.
Speaking of tasks,
here's one for you:
Click the ‘Like’ and ‘Subscribe’ buttons down below,
and you'll continue to power this channel!
It might also prevent a possessed animatronic from biting my head off,
so... thanks!
The sixth installment of the FNaF franchise was released
in December of 2017.
Titled ‘Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator’,
It's the sequel to Five Nights at Freddy's 3.
As its title suggests,
the primary objective of this game revolves around managing a pizzeria
and ensuring it maintains a safe atmosphere.
Neglecting this duty can lead to potential lawsuits,
and if faced with too many legal actions,
you might even end up going bankrupt!
However, once the player has successfully established their pizzeria,
the actual gameplay takes a different turn.
You must then occupy an office until the closing hours,
defending against the salvaged animatronics that lurk within
while completing designated tasks.
you're not who I expected to see
The business style gameplay of Pizzeria Simulator was a first for the franchise,
with players spending in-game money to buy features for their pizzeria.
A series of minigames could also be played by testing the establishment's attractions,
and many new animatronics were introduced,
though most of them are not hostile.
In addition to the mainline games,
Scott Cawthon released multiple spin-off titles,
which added new gameplay elements and story layers.
'FNaF World' launched in 2016, and boy,
it wasn't playing by the old rules!
Instead of the usual scares,
it dived into turn based RPG madness,
where animatronics team up for some quirky battles.
Ultimate Custom Night was released in 2018,
acting like a reunion party for all the animatronics.
Drawing from the series' legacy,
It gave players the reins to their own horror show.
It's like a buffet,
but everything's trying to scare you!
Games not enough for you?
How about some FNaF bedtime stories?
Scott and Kira Breed-Wrisley wrote The Silver Eyes in 2015,
And if that didn't keep you awake,
there's The Twisted Ones in 2017
and The Fourth Closet in 2018.
Sweet dreams!
According to Cawthorn, these novels
“expand the mythos and reveal a human element never before seen in the games."
If you thought FNaF was done haunting your dreams,
think again!
With a dozen books from 'Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights'
released between 2019 and 2022
and the still-unfolding tales of Five Nights at Freddy's: Tales from the Pizzaplex,
It looks like our reading nights are set to be as restless as the game nights!
Fun Fact:
In 2021, Scott Cawthon announced his retirement
from professional game development
On the seventh anniversary of the first game's trailer, he said,
“I realize that I was in my mid-30s when I created the series
and now I'm approaching my mid-40s,
I realize that I miss a lot of things
that I got to focus on before five nights at Freddy's
became such a success...
I miss making games for my kids,
I miss doing it just for fun,
and I miss making RPGs even though I stink at it.
All of this is to say that I am retiring.”
However, his retirement does not mean an end to Five Nights at Freddy's.
Not by a long shot!
More on that in a moment.
As previously mentioned, Cawthon teamed up with Steel Wool Studios
and Illumix to bring about a second era of FNaF.
"Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted" brought the series into virtual reality,
allowing players to experience the horror in an even more immersive way.
Prepare to jump out of your skin from all sides in glorious 360 degrees.
Oh the wonders of technology!
According to Metacritic,
it's the highest-rated game in the franchise so far,
scoring 80 out of 100 on PlayStation 4.
A sequel, titled
Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2,
is set to come out in December 2023.
"Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery"
was released on iOS and Android in 2019.
to turn your phone into augmented reality terror.
Furthermore, "Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach
launched in 2021 for PC and multiple consoles.
Both titles introduced new characters,
settings and gameplay mechanics.
Security Breach provides players
with the ability to roam freely around the complex,
adding a fresh layer of tension and unpredictability to the experience.
While Cawthon may no longer be directly involved in game production,
he has made sure his legacy will continue.
The franchise has expanded beyond video games into merchandise,
including action figures,
clothing,
and collectibles.
A Five Nights at Freddy's movie adaptation is also in the works
and is set to premiere on October 27th, 2023.
Cawthon helped to write the screenplay,
ensuring the movie remains as authentically terrifying
as accidentally opening your front camera.
A successful film might just introduce a whole new batch of fans
to the joy of sleepless nights!
The idea of a film adaptation has been floating around since 2015,
but like finding the right animatronic for the job,
it took its time.
Fast forward to 2018,
and our dynamic duo, Cawthon and Breed-Wrisley,
finally got their script-writing hats on and delivered the first draft!
Initially, Cawthon revealed that the movie would involve
the events of the first game,
but since then, he has announced a different idea for the story,
one that he “liked better!”
Directed by Emma Tammi,
Josh Hutcherson will play the role of security guard Mike Schmidt,
while Matthew Lillard takes on the role of William Afton.
Fun Fact:
Trailers for the movie confirmed that YouTuber ‘CoryxKenshin’
has a cameo appearance as a taxi driver.
Seeing as he was one of the YouTubers
who reacted to the original game
and helped make it popular,
it's a nice way to bring things full circle.
What happened?
With an estimated budget of $25 million
and the backing of Blumhouse Productions,
which has produced movies like Split,
he's not allowed to touch you.
Whiplash
and Get Out,
wait, wait, wait, wait
sin
Expectations are soaring higher than a jump scare on max volume.
And I think you should maybe tell me about that
tell me how to stop them
you don't!
The Five Nights at Freddy's franchise has grown
from a simple indie horror game into a multimedia phenomenon
with an intricate and expanding lore,
a dedicated fanbase,
and continued development and expansion across various platforms and media.
Scott Cawthon's creativity and dedication to the series
have played a significant role in its ongoing success,
but as he prepares to step away from it,
will it continue to survive through the night?
Curious about the evolution of other games?
Drop your wishes in the comments
and subscribe for more evolution videos.