Scott Cawthon, the creator of the Five Nights at Freddy's games, has announced his retirement. The decision comes in the wake of a controversy over the developer's political donations to Republican party candidates, including Donald Trump.
On the ScottGames.com website, Cawthon wrote "I realize that I miss a lot of things that I got to focus on before FNAF 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."
He went on to praise the support of the Five Nights at Freddy's fanbase. "I have been shown tremendous love and support over this last week, a lot of which has come from the LGBTQ community," he said. "The kindness shown to me has been surreal."
His mention of the LGBTQ community is important, as just a few days ago Cawthon was caught up in a controversy over the revelation that he had donated thousands of dollars to Republican political candidates, many of which have shown anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiments in their beliefs. A substantial part of the Five Nights at Freddy's community crosses over with the LGBTQIA+ community, and so it's easy to understand why so many fans were upset by Cawthon's donations.
In a message posted to Reddit following the controversy, Cawthon said "If I get cancelled, then I get cancelled. I don't do this for the money anymore; I do it because I enjoy it. If people think I'm doing more harm than good now, then maybe it's better that I get cancelled and retire. I would accept that."
While Cawthon does not mention his Reddit message nor the controversy in his retirement announcement, it does seem logical that the two events are linked due to the short time period between them. However, as Cawthon says, he also has a wish to focus on his family. "I have SIX kids now," he wrote. "I want to focus my attention on them, focus on protecting them, and spend my time making things for them. I only ask that my fanbase respect my decision."
Cawthon states that his retirement will not bring an end to Five Nights at Freddy's, and the popular horror series will continue. "Someone else will eventually be running the show," said Cawthon. "Someone of my choosing, and someone that I trust."
Five Nights at Freddy's has a huge fanbase and is among the most beloved horror game series of the past few years. A film is in production at Blumhouse, and this year's Nic Cage movie, Willy's Wonderland, certainly looks like it was inspired by Cawthon's ideas.
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.
