Five Nights at Freddy’s (Franchise)

Not what you were looking for? See Five Nights at Freddy’s (disambiguation).

Five Nights at Freddy’s

The franchise’s official trademark logo (2016-present).

Information

Creator(s)

Scott Cawthon
Clickteam LLC
Steel Wool Studios
Illumix
Emil Macko
Kane Carter
Nikson
Jonochrome
Phil Morg

Genre

*

Horror

Science-Fiction/Fantasy*

Status

Ongoing

Installments

No. of Games

18

No. of Books

41

No. of Attractions

1

Chronology

First Installment

Five Nights at Freddy’s
(August 8, 2014)

Latest Installment

Youtooz Presents: Five Nights at Freddy’s
(April 29, 2022)

Five Nights at Freddy’s (also shortened as Five Nights, and abbreviated as FNaF) is an independent survival horror franchise created by Scott Cawthon that first started as a video game released on Friday; the 8th of August, 2014. The franchise has since received worldwide popularity.

The franchise currently consists of a total of 18 video games (10 main games, 4 spin-offs, and 4 troll games), a total of 45 books (3 novel books, 21 anthology books, 8 graphic novels, 5 guidebooks, 2 coloring books, and 6 other books), as well as the horror attraction, Snapchat lenses, the upcoming movie, and an ongoing batch of merchandise.

Video Games

Main category: Video Games

Canonverse Games

The canonverse games are Five Nights at Freddy’s games officially developed by Scott Cawthon and other official companies. All games bear the same canonical continuity, excluding others like FNaF World and Freddy in Space 2.

The first entry in the series was the original Five Nights at Freddy’s, which was released on July 24th, 2014. On November 11th, 2014, a second game, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, was released onto Steam. On March 2nd, 2015, a third game, Five Nights at Freddy’s 3, was released onto Steam. A fourth game, Five Nights at Freddy’s 4, was released on July 23rd, 2015. A Halloween update was released on October 30th, 2015, with a Halloween update for the first three games releasing on October 31st, 2015. A fifth game, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location was released on October 7th, 2016. A free update containing the Custom Night (with new in-game challenge mode and new cutscenes) became available on December 1st, 2016. The sixth game was released on December 4th, 2017 for free under the guise of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator. The seventh game, Ultimate Custom Night, was released on June 27th, 2018.

A VR game entitled Five Nights at Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted became available on May 28th, 2019. The game features 40 mini-games based upon previous installments along with some never before seen content. A Halloween themed DLC called Curse of Dreadbear was released on October 23rd, 2019. The AR game entitled Five Nights at Freddy’s AR: Special Delivery was released on November 25th, 2019. The game has been receiving recurring delivery events since launch. A DLC called Dark Circus: Encore! was released on December 13th, 2021. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach was released on December 16th, 2021 after many delays. A free DLC titled Ruin is set for release in 2023.

A separated spin-off role-playing game, entitled FNaF World, was released on January 21st, 2016 formally at Steam before taking the game down due to negative reception, and re-released on Game Jolt on February 8th, 2016. A second update later released on May 13rd, 2016. The game itself takes place in its own universe and does not have anything to do with the core series, but still a part of the official franchise. Another spin-off taking place in its own universe, titled Freddy in Space 2, was released on December 3rd, 2019. A beat-’em-up spin-off, Security Breach: Fury’s Rage, was released on April 28th, 2021. An augmented reality spin-off, Youtooz Presents: Five Nights at Freddy’s, was released on April 29th, 2022.

On February 15th, 2015, Scott stated that he was hacked and someone uploaded Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 to Game Jolt for free, though it turned out that he wasn’t hacked and it was just a troll game based on his older game There is No Pause Button! On October 28th, 2015, a hacker going by the name “lolz_hax” had hacked Scott and uploaded FNaF World on Game Jolt, which was just a Halloween themed troll game based on Fighter Mage Bard. On October 6th, 2016, Scott uploaded a mature version of Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location on Game Jolt stating that he wanted to make the game more appropriate for younger audiences, but it was just another troll game based on Sit ‘N Survive. On June 21st, 2018, Scott released a demo for Ultimate Custom Night on Game Jolt, however, it was a troll game based on Doofas.

Fanverse Games

The Fazbear Fanverse games are the popular fangames endorsed and officialized as a part of the Five Nights at Freddy’s multimedia franchise by Scott Cawthon, who helps give funds and support to the original fangame developers. The officially-approved series of this collaboration include: Five Nights at Candy’s, POPGOES, The Joy of Creation, One Night at Flumpty’s, and Five Nights at Freddy’s Plus.

Books

On December 17th, 2015, a novel, The Silver Eyes, based on the story was released onto Amazon. The novel’s plot is considered canon but take place in the alternate universe, different to the game series itself. Few different translated books (such as Portuguese and Spanish) are published. A young-adult 3-book series is being made, with the help of Scholastic. The first book, The Silver Eyes, was released in October 2016. The second book, The Twisted Ones, was released on June 27th, 2017.[1] The third book, The Fourth Closet, was released in June 26th, 2018.[2] The novel trilogy was adapted into graphic novels. The first graphic novel was released on December 26th, 2019, the second graphic novel was released on February 2nd, 2021, and the third graphic novel was released on December 28th, 2021.

On November 12th, 2018, Scott Cawthon announced a new line of Scholastic books related to the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise; Fazbear Frights. A total of eleven books each containing three different short horror stories, with characters and plot lines taken directly from the game series while some of them are not. Into The Pit was released on December 26th, 2019, Fetch was released on March 3rd, 2020, 1:35 A.M. was released on May 5th, 2020, Step Closer was released on July 7th, 2020, Bunny Call was released on September 1st, 2020, Blackbird was released on December 29th, 2020, The Cliffs was released on March 2nd, 2021, Gumdrop Angel was released on May 4th, 2021, The Puppet Carver was released on July 6th, 2021, Friendly Face was released on September 7th, 2021, and Prankster was released on November 2nd, 2021. A bonus book, Felix the Shark, was released on April 19th, 2022. Graphic novels for the Fazbear Frights series are currently in development, although the order of certain stories is set to be changed. The first graphic novel was released on September 6th, 2022, the second graphic novel was release on March 7th, 2023, the third graphic novel is set to release on September 5th, 2023, the fourth graphic novel is set to release in December, 2023, and the fifth graphic novel is set to release in August, 2024.

On November 6th, 2021, a new line of anthology books related to the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise was announced; Tales from the Pizzaplex. A total of five books each containing three different short horror stories, with characters and plot lines taken directly from the game series while some of them are not. Lally’s Game was released on July 19th, 2022, HAPPS was released on August 30th, 2022, Somniphobia was released on December 6th, 2022, Submechanophobia was released on December 27th, 2022, The Bobbiedots Conclusion was released on March 7th, 2023, Nexie will be released on May 2nd, 2023, Tiger Rock will be released on July 4th, 2023, B7-2 will be released on October 3rd, 2023, and Tales from the Pizzaplex 9 will be released in January, 2024.

The first guidebook for the series, The Freddy Files, was released on August 29th, 2017. The book reveals information and evidence about the characters, locations, gameplay, etc., and even a preview on the last page where it features an animatronic Scrap Baby from Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator. The book also features a number of common fan-theories.[3] A newer version, titled The Freddy Files: Updated Edition, was published on June 25th, 2019.[4] It also included a teaser image that foreshadows VR Springtrap from In the Flesh. Another version, Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Ultimate Guide, was released on December 7th, 2021, this version is bigger and even has an Animatronics Inventory chapter, however, unlike the other two versions, this one does not include a teaser at the end teasing any new upcoming content. Another guidebook, Security Breach Files, was released on September 20th, 2022, focusing on Security Breach information. A newer version, titled Security Breach Files: Updated Edition, is set to release on December 26th, 2023.

A coloring book, Art with Edge, Five Nights at Freddy’s, was released on November 17th, 2018 by Crayola. A second coloring book by Scholastic, The Official Five Nights at Freddy’s Coloring Book, was released on January 5th, 2021.

Sometime in 2017, the Five Nights at Freddy’s Sticker Album was released. An activity logbook for the series, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Survival Logbook, was released on December 26th, 2017.[5] Another activity book, The Official Five Nights at Freddy’s How to Draw, was released on January 4th, 2022. A separate guidebook, Five Nights at Freddy’s Character Encyclopedia, is set to release on February 7th, 2023, focusing on every single character throughout the franchise up to date. An official Five Nights at Freddy’s Cookbook is set to release on September 5th, 2023. The Five Nights at Freddy’s: Ticket to Fun Ephemera Kit is set to release on August 6th, 2024.

Film

A film adaptation is currently in production at Blumhouse Productions. On March 28th, 2017, Scott posted on his twitter (which he has not posted on since he created it in December 2014) that Blumhouse Productions, known for many films such as Insidious, Paranormal Activity, Get Out, and Split, will be involved with the production of the film. No release date has been confirmed as of yet, but was estimated to be released around 2020-2021. They are planning to produce multiple films, and these films will be based on the first three games of the core series.[6]

On February 6th, 2017, Scott had mentioned that the production of the film was “back at square one”.

On March 28th, 2017, Scott posted a picture of a chair with the name “Freddy” on it, with a displayed picture of Blumhouse Productions’ logo, revealing that said production company will be involved with production of the movie.

On August 19th, 2018, Scott announced that the film’s draft during production is scrapped.

On September 29th, 2019, a script for the movie has finally been confirmed.

In June 2020, during an interview, Jason Blum stated that the film is super active and it’s not stalled and he doesn’t want to put a timeline on it.

On November 20th, 2020, Scott said in a post on the Five Nights at Freddy’s subreddit that the movie is scheduled to begin filming in Spring 2021. He had also included a list of screenplays that were scrapped and provided the reasons of why they were ultimately eliminated. He also pointed out a screenplay that was not scrapped and will be the plot of the movie, revolving around a man named “Mike” and his connection to Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. It’s likely that the protagonist is either Mike Schmidt or Michael Afton, and will most likely be giving out more backstory and lore.

However, on September 29th, 2021, it was revealed in an article that the “Mike” script was scrapped and that filming did not begun during spring of 2021 as Scott and Jason wanted. Therefore, it’s clearly unknown when the film is being released, however, Jason has twitted out that the movie is still in production and has stated that he doesn’t want to write a story that’s going to disappoint Scott, he wants to make Scott happy.

In March 2022, Blum stated that news on the film is “dangerously close” and that it could release in 2023.[7]

In August 2022, Jason Blum tweeted an image from a special effects company Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, who made the animatronic suit designs for the film.

In October 2022, Jason Blum confirmed that the movie would start production in February 2023, with director Emma Tammi, and Jim Henson’s Creature Shop building the animatronics.

Console Ports

Main category: Platforms

Main article: Console Ports

In May 2016, Scott confirmed that the original titles are set to be remade on consoles sometime in the future. However on September 4th, 2017, the consoles are called off due to Scott’s concerns about the deal.[8] On August 19, 2018, Scott changed his mind to let the console ports happen in the future.[9] While confirmed to be made in newly improved HD, the games are released on the following consoles for the franchise’s 5th anniversary on 2019 by Striker Entertainment; Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.[10]

The first four games released on November 29th, 2019 on all consoles. Sister Location released on June 18th, 2020 on Nintendo Switch, July 10th, 2020 on Xbox One, and July 20th, 2020 on PlayStation 4. Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator released on October 30th, 2020 on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, and March 31st, 2021 on PlayStation 4. Ultimate Custom Night released on April 30th, 2021 on all consoles.

A digital collection of the first four games called Five Nights at Freddy’s: Original Series released on October 28th, 2020 for Xbox One and PC via the Microsoft Store by Clickteam LLC. A physical collection of the first five games called Five Nights at Freddy’s: Core Collection released on January 12nd, 2021 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch by Maximum Games.

Attractions

Main category: Rides and Attractions

In Las Vegas, a real-life horror attraction called Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Fright Dome was opened on September 30th, 2016 and ran throughout the month of October. Scott recently revealed that it will not be open in 2017, due to management changes.[11]

From Jacksonville, Florida, on November 23rd, 2016, Sally Corporation recently debut a dark ride based on the game series called Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Ride with no release date confirmed.[12]

Merchandise

Main category: Merchandise

Starting back in 2015, official merchandise products (such as plush toys, t-shirts, figures, posters, etc.) can be found online and in stores. The merchandise is available on online stores such as Sanshee, Toywiz, Amazon, etc. They can also be found in stores such as Target, Walmart, Gamestop, etc. The company Funko creates iconic POP! figures of many of the animatronics from the games. McFarlane toys developed building sets based on locations and characters from the series. Interestingly enough, half of the tags, covers, etc., for merchandises (especially few t-shirts) contain renders of characters from the entire series officially from Scott Cawthon.

Social Media

A few amount of Snapchat Lenses are released on 2019 by Illumix, allowing users to replace their own face with an animatronic head and would articulate the mouth and eyebrows with theirs. Freddy Fazbear, Circus Baby, and Endo-01 are currently the only available animatronics so far, but there will be more coming in the future.[13]

Future

Scott confirmed before that one of the future games will have a bigger budget and multiplayer genre, and it is under development by the company Universal with Scott’s collaboration.

Another game, titled Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into Madness, was originally planned to be developed by Scott himself alone as confirmed on August 19th, 2018. However on August 8th, 2019 with the following reveal of the Freddy in Space 2, the game was announced to be on hold and will likely be a next Five Nights at Freddy’s project by Steel Wool Studios on 2021. However, the game was not released in said year, and therefore has gotten delayed to an unknown date.

Trivia

• The franchise appeared in the Guinness Book of Records: Gamer’s Edition 2017, breaking the record for the largest number of sequels released in a year; from the first game released on August 8, 2014 to the fourth game released on July 23, 2015 (11 months and 15 days).
• The “official” anniversary of Five Nights at Freddy’s is August 8th.
• Scott once joked in a Steam post that a sequel, Freddy in Space, was slated for an April 2016 release.[14] Scott actually released the “teaser” for this game on his website.
  • Soon, it became a minigame for FNaF World.
• The Game Jolt site has an official tag for Scott’s Five Nights at Freddy’s games along with numerous fan games (POPGOES, Five Nights at Candy’s, One Night at Flumpty’s, and many more).

References