Scott Cawthon, the creator of Five Nights at Freddy’s, announced today that he’s retiring. He updated his website a few hours ago with a message saying that he’s passing the reins of his series to someone else and that he wants to focus on his family. “What a blessed career I’ve had; what wonderful people I’ve met… Thank you so much.”
There are few indie games that have captured popular attention to the extent that FNaF has. Not only have several games launched since the franchise started seven years ago — more so than many could have reasonably expected from a franchise made by a development studio, let alone Cawthon’s small operation. In addition to the games, a book series and even a movie have been added to the canon.
As for why he’s retiring… well, he says it’s because he’s had enough success and he wants to go back to making small games for his kids. That’s a plausible reason. It’s also worth noting that Cawthon has recently gotten some backlash from his players after certain political donations and leanings of his came to light. For the sake of discretion, that’s all we’re going to say on that particular topic, but suffice to say it wouldn’t be outside the realm of probability that this contributed to his stepping down.
Cawthon is one of the most successful indie game developers, in terms of public visibility if nothing else. According to his website, he’s turning creative control of FNaF over to “someone I trust” and promised that an announcement of his successor would be coming soon. And though Cawthon’s current controversy may have left several fans displeased with him, others are grateful for his creations. The hashtag #ThankYouScott has been trending on Twitter since he announced his retirement, with fans thanking him for his work.
Source: Scott Games
