[Cryptek]

Five Nights At Freddy's creator retires amid controversy over political donations

Scott Cawthon, the creator of popular horror series Five Nights At Freddy's, is retiring from professional games develo…

www.gamesindustry.biz

Scott Cawthon, the creator of popular horror series Five Nights At Freddy's, is retiring from professional games development.

In a statement on his site, he indicated he would return to making games as a hobby.

The announcement comes on the seven-year anniversary of the debut trailer for the first game, but also follows a week of controversy around Cawthon and his donations to US political parties.

Recent reports shared OpenSecrets' record of Cawthon's past donations, amounting to over $36,000, the vast majority of which has been given to Republican candidates, including divisive figures such as former President Donald Trump.

These sparked a public backlash against the developer, prompting a statement on a now-locked thread of the FNAF subreddit.

"I'd like to think that the last seven years would have given me the benefit of the doubt in regards to how I try to treat people, but there I was, trending on Twitter for being a homophobe, getting doxed, with people threatening to come to my house," Cawthon wrote.

 

[Arkam]

Oh noes! He disagrees with me! Well that just cannot be tolerated!

This industry is a toxic and festering pustule. No idea why anyone would want to join us in this misery. I am probably too old to switch careers... but the idea gets more appealing everyday.

Edit: Oh and that headline is an embarrassment. It should read "Developer forced to retire after Online Mob targeted them for their beliefs" But no cant even be honest here. Makes me sick.

 

[J-Roderton]

Well, that's pretty shitty.

 

[The Bloody Nine]

Gina Carano was right.

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

Never give in to the mob. People doing that is why the other side is winning. It's time people who know better take a stand for freedom at all costs.

 

[JORMBO]

Social media is the worst thing ever. Now these clowns will just move on to their next target to harass and threaten. He should have just ignored them and continued on with life.

 

[DonDonDonPata]

Oh sweet, I always wanted to watch a sequel to Trumbo.

 

[Yawnson]

Disgusting that you see post on Resetera calling him a Genocidal Nazi and in different words, asking for harm to come to him

 

[GreyHorace]

Scott Cawthon has already more money than God after the success of FNAF. I think he'll be fine and retire in comfort.

Still, this is extremely shitty and just goes to show the witch hunt mentality of these assholes.

 

[Arkam]

Scott Cawthon has already more money than God after the success of FNAF. I think he'll be fine and retire in comfort.

Still, this is extremely shitty and just goes to show the witch hunt mentality of these assholes.

What boils my blood is that if it can happen to him... how easy will it be when they come for me? And I do not have money to retire. I have to earn an income for the next 20+ years.

 

[brap]

What a pathetic bitch.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

On the flip side, I'm sure the FNAF games have made him enough money for his retirement to be a comfortable one.

 

[Cryptek]

Social media is the worst thing ever. Now these clowns will just move on to their next target to harass and threaten. He should have just ignored them and continued on with life.

They were sending threats to him, doxxing and putting his family in danger. He quit for his pregnant wife.

It sucks but he may not have had many options.

It infuriates me.

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

They were sending threats to him, doxxing and putting his family in danger. He quit for his pregnant wife.

It sucks but he may not have had many options.

It infuriates me.

 

[GreyHorace]

Notice the similarities between Scott and 'Always Online' Adam Orth?

Both were harassed by an online mob and forced to quit their job.

The only difference is Orth was called a victim by the media, while Cawthon has not received the same kind of treatment because of his political beliefs.

 

[Kadayi]

This shit is crazy tbh. The idea that because he supported Trump (in a field of two candidates from a choice of two parties) therefore he has to go is the most insane BS ever. This witch hunt mentality has to come to an end, the people who do this sort of thing are unhinged.

What boils my blood is that if it can happen to him... how easy will it be when they come for me? And I do not have money to retire. I have to earn an income for the next 20+ years.

On point. Like that case of the Mexican dude losing his job because someone on Twitter complained to the company he drove for because he had his hand out the window with what they perceived as a white power symbol. Despite the fact that everyone knew it was BS, the company still fired him due to the optics. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[JORMBO]

They were sending threats to him, doxxing and putting his family in danger. He quit for his pregnant wife.

It sucks but he may not have had many options.

It infuriates me.

Hard and shitty situation. It sounds like he is pretty well off going by his donation amount. If it was me in this position I wouldn't be able to afford quitting or leaving my industry. Twitter losers never leave their basement so I would have to just wait it out. Maybe alert the police, invest in a gun or stay elsewhere for a week to be sure. It is really a shame what is happening to this country.

 

[ExpandKong]

They were sending threats to him, doxxing and putting his family in danger. He quit for his pregnant wife.

It sucks but he may not have had many options.

It infuriates me.

Steven Crowder's wife is pregnant and he still does his show every day. This shit will not stop until people stop being afraid to stand up for themselves and what they believe in.

But eh. Maybe he really does want to spend more time with his kids. He was cranking one of these games out every year, wasn't he? That plus the harassment stuff, I can't exactly say I fault him for it.

 

[Goatmilk]

It's a bummer because his initial response was pitch perfect.

 

[HeresJohnny]

Behold the tolerant Left!

 

[cryptoadam]

What a wuss.

He should go balls deep if he has fuck you money to retire. Fuck them and fuck "his" company. He should basically have took a stand and force mad right wing anti-trans anti-SJW etc shit in his games. Basically middle fingered em all if they were going to force him to retire.

I don't know the situation and if he has that type of control, but if he has any sort of ownership of the IP he should go scorched earth. I bet dollars to doughnuts if he said fuck it and trolled everyone with his next games he would survive and probably become even bigger. Instead he "retired".

 

[HeresJohnny]

Isn't it interesting that the side claiming to be antifa are fa themselves.

 

[gameragodzilla]

I'm glad I'm suspended from Twitter.

 

[Yawnson]

I'm glad I'm suspended from Twitter.

I'm honestly trying my best to get suspended too without just telling some blue check that they're a cunt

 

[and 3 others]

What a pathetic bitch.

The only acceptable position!

 

[ExpandKong]

I'm honestly trying my best to get suspended too without just telling some blue check that they're a cunt

just start posting fbi crime statistics

 

[Yawnson]

just start posting fbi crime statistics

I'll try that next time the context suits it

 

[Helios]

It's interesting that all these publications framed the title talking about his political donations but if it was someone that they wanted to defend they'd put the fact that he and his family were harassed front and center.