Scott Cawthon

Cawthon has led development for eight games in the main series, as well as four spin-offs. Outside of the games, Cawthon wrote several stories, including novels and the screenplay for the Five Nights at Freddy's film (2023) and its sequel Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (2025), both of which he also produced. In 2021, following extensive doxing and harassment incidents due to the publicization of his donations to the Republican Party, Cawthon announced his retirement and has since largely stepped away from game development, although still retaining exclusivity rights and overarching creative control over the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise.

• Name — Scott Cawthon • Other Names — Animdude • Birth Name — Scott Braden Cawthon • Born — 4 June 1978 • Birthplace — Houston, Texas, U.S. • Occupation — * Animator • video game developer • author • screenwriter • film producer • Years Active — 1994–present • Notable Works — Five Nights at Freddy's • Children — 6 • Website — https: scottgames.com/

Scott Braden Cawthon was born on June 4, 1978, in Houston, Texas, to Linda (née Friedrich) and Joseph H. Cawthon (1949–2019). He has one sister and one brother.

As a Christian, Cawthon began his career in game development, making self-funded adventure-oriented Christian video games. Cawthon's first professional game was called Iffermoon. He attended the Art Institute of Houston in 1996, where he learned how to create computer graphics, and taught himself to develop games using the engine Clickteam Fusion. A member of a group of Christian artists known as Hope Animation, Cawthon also made animated Christian films. Cawthon's religious projects included The Pilgrim's Progress: The Video Game (2011) and The Desolate Hope (2012). Based on the religious allegory, The Pilgrim's Progress: The Video Game is a role-playing video game with enemies such as Beelzebub, Apollyon, Shame, and Giant Despair. The Desolate Hope is a role-playing video game with platforming and top-down elements. Set in a "dark, brooding, and twisted industrial landscape", the dystopian story follows a robotic coffee pot who must rescue a fetus being used as a scientific specimen. Rock Paper Shotgun praised the game's art style, describing it as akin to a "glorious artifact from the nineties, hand-crafted [and] bizarre". Kill Screen wrote that the themes of adventure and the unique art style of Cawthon's early works would reappear in some of his later projects such as FNaF World (2016). After the release of Five Nights at Freddy's (2014), The Desolate Hope received both attention and criticism for the plot's perceived pro-life message, although Cawthon later clarified that the game "was not designed with abortion specifically in mind." Cawthon's Christian games were generally well received but were not financially successful enough to support his wife and two children. He reluctantly stopped making religious games and instead produced cheap computer games and free-to-play mobile titles which could provide him with a steady source of income. Calum Marsh, in his profile of Cawthon for The New York Times, wrote that these games "might bring in $40 or $50 each month". He also took on programming and retail work. In 2013, Cawthon submitted the family-friendly game Chipper & Sons Lumber Co. to Steam Greenlight. It was a resource management title featuring anthropomorphic animals; the player character was a beaver. However, players and reviewers such as James Stephanie Sterling ridiculed the game because they thought the characters were unintentionally "creepy" and resembled "scary" animatronics. One writer described it as an example of the uncanny valley. Cawthon's financial situation and Chipper & Sons criticism led to him becoming depressed. He thought that he had squandered his life by becoming a game developer and attempted to pursue other professions. Cawthon underwent a crisis of faith: "Either God didn't exist, or God hated me." When his life insurance policy got cancelled after the company found out that he had expressed suicidal ideation to his doctor, he realized that "now even my death had no value" and asked God to "use me somehow". With his faith restored, Cawthon took inspiration from Chipper & Sons reception and decided to make something intentionally scarier. This was the impetus for Five Nights at Freddy's.

• Illustration — The logo for Five Nights at Freddy's Cawthon submitted Five Nights at Freddy's to Steam's Greenlight system in the summer of 2014, releasing a trailer and later a demo. He submitted it to IndieDB, where it gained popularity, and submitted the game a third time to Desura. The game was accepted on Steam's Greenlight in August 2014. The game was well received by critics, and became the subject of numerous popular Let's Play videos on YouTube. A prequel, Five Nights at Freddy's 2, was released later that year on Steam. Soon after the release of Five Nights at Freddy's 2, Cawthon removed all information from his personal website and replaced it with an image of the word "offline". His website later began to show teaser images promoting Five Nights at Freddy's 3, which was released in March 2015. Five Nights at Freddy's 4 was released in 2015, with a free Halloween update following. The development of a game, titled FNaF World, was announced, ditching the formula of the other games and instead being a role-playing video game. It was released on January 21, 2016. FNaF World received mixed reviews due to glitches and other issues, and Cawthon pulled it from Steam four days later. An altered version was released on Game Jolt for free on February 8. On May 21, 2016, Cawthon released a teaser trailer for Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location. The game was released on October 7, 2016, and was generally well received. Cawthon released the update "Custom Night" on December 1, with "Golden Freddy Mode" being added to the update soon after. On July 3, 2017, Cawthon announced the cancellation of a sixth main installment to Five Nights at Freddy's, after previously stating a month earlier that a sixth game was in development. He opined that he had been neglecting other aspects of his life but said that he was not planning to abandon the series and was considering developing a FNaF World-styled spin-off game in the future. However, with the release of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator on December 4, 2017, this was confirmed to be a joke. On June 28, 2018, the seventh main installment to the series, Ultimate Custom Night, was released on Steam for free. It features over 50 characters from the franchise. In Cawthon's Upcoming Projects post on Steam, he noted that deals for console ports have been signed, as well as announcing virtual reality and augmented reality games.

In early 2019, Cawthon announced he had joined with video game studio Steel Wool Studios, with whom he intended to develop additional Five Nights at Freddy's games, and that he would primarily be responsible for storylines, character design, and gameplay. On May 28, 2019, Cawthon released the teased virtual reality game Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted for both PC and PlayStation VR. A downloadable content update, Curse of Dreadbear, was released on October 23, 2019. In September 2019, a teaser and announcement trailers were posted to Illumix's YouTube channel regarding the augmented reality game. The title was revealed to be Five Nights at Freddy's: Special Delivery. It was released for free on November 25, 2019, on iOS and Android. On August 8, 2019, during the first game's fifth anniversary, Cawthon posted an image on his website, teasing the tenth installment of the series. It shows a modernized shopping mall containing a laser tag arena, an arcade, a large cinema, and a Freddy Fazbear's Pizza restaurant; in the main square, '80s-style versions of Freddy Fazbear, Chica, and two animatronics can be seen playing for an excited crowd. On September 29, 2019, Cawthon's website was updated with a teaser featuring the character Glamrock Freddy and was followed by an updated teaser featuring the character Vanny from Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted as a shadow. On March 24, 2020, another teaser featuring an alligator-like character was posted, later revealed to be called Montgomery Gator. On April 21, 2020, the characters' names were leaked from Funko's list of upcoming products, and the title was revealed as Five Nights at Freddy's: PizzaPlex. A few hours later, on April 22, 2020, Scott Cawthon confirmed the leaks via Reddit and revealed that the title was not official and that it was only for Funko. Cawthon announced that the game was scheduled to release in late 2020. On June 12, 2020, another teaser was released, featuring the game's antagonist, an unnamed female security guard. On August 7, 2020, a teaser of Vanny was released. One day later, Cawthon revealed the characters Glamrock Chica and Roxanne Wolf through Reddit. On August 21, 2020, Cawthon announced his plan to help fund and publish Five Nights at Freddy's games developed by fans, bundled with previous installments in their respective series. He would not be involved in any of the creative elements but would help with marketing and publishing support, as well as appropriate licensing. The games that were announced to be included were One Night at Flumpty's series, the Five Nights at Candy's series, The Joy of Creation: Ignited Collection (consisting of the original The Joy of Creation, The Joy of Creation: Reborn, and The Joy of Creation: Story Mode), Popgoes Evergreen (including the prologue game Popgoes Arcade), and Five Nights at Freddy's Plus, a reimagining of the original game. Cawthon stated that these games would likely come to mobile and consoles, and may have merchandise created for them. The first game to be released under this initiative was a port of One Night at Flumpty's for Android and iOS on October 31 and November 18, 2020, respectively. The second game to be released was a port of its sequel, One Night at Flumpty's 2, on January 20, 2021, again for Android and iOS. The next game to be released was One Night at Flumpty's 3 on October 31, 2021, for PC and mobile devices, and for consoles at a later date. On September 16, 2020, during a PlayStation 5 Showcase, it was revealed that Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach would come to PlayStation 5, featuring real-time ray tracing and free-roam gameplay. Its initial release was on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC, with other platforms coming three months later. In December 2020, Cawthon posted that Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach was delayed to 2021, stating the game's scope was too great to be finished by the end of 2020.

On June 16, 2021, following a controversy where it was revealed that Cawthon had donated money to Republican Party politicians, Cawthon posted a message on his website announcing his retirement from public game development and expressing gratitude towards his followers for their ongoing support. He stated that he wished to retire in order to spend more time with his children. He intended to appoint a successor to ensure that the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise would continue, while he himself would continue to occupy a lesser role in its development. As of 2026, Cawthon has overarching creative control over the franchise and the exclusive rights over it. On October 18, 2023, Cawthon released his first video game since his retirement, Freddy in Space 3: Chica in Space, which was released as a supposed tie-in game for the Five Nights at Freddy's film.

In May 2013, Cawthon released his first literary work, "The Tearing" under the pseudonym "Michael Parsins". In December 2015, Cawthon released teasers for his first novel, Five Nights at Freddy's: The Untold Story, later renamed Five Nights at Freddy's: The Silver Eyes. The book was released on December 17, 2015, as an ebook for Amazon; a paperback edition is available. According to Cawthon, the book was released earlier than its planned release date due to a mistake on Amazon's part. On June 24, 2016, Cawthon announced that he had made a three-book deal with Scholastic Corporation and that the first book (The Silver Eyes) would be reprinted on paperback in October that year, with the second and third being released in 2017 and 2018. On June 27, 2017, Cawthon's second novel, Five Nights at Freddy's: The Twisted Ones, was released. It was the sequel to The Silver Eyes, and its story follows the main character, Charlie, who is "drawn back into the world of her father's frightening creations" when she tried to get over the events of The Silver Eyes. On August 29, 2017, Cawthon released the first official guidebook of Five Nights at Freddy's, entitled The Freddy Files. It contains character profiles, easter eggs, advice for playing the games, and theories sprouted from the franchise. On December 26, 2017, Cawthon released the second guidebook for Five Nights at Freddy's called Survival Logbook. Unlike previous book releases, Survival Logbook has no listed Amazon Kindle editions, implying that it has pages designed for physical writing as opposed to simply reading from a device. The book, disguised as a normal children's activity book, contains many things to do, including a word search, grid drawing, and fill-in-the-blank activities; however, all of these were found to hold secrets involving the lore. On June 26, 2018, the third novel in the Five Nights at Freddy's book series, Five Nights at Freddy's: The Fourth Closet, was revealed on Amazon and was slated for release that same day. On December 26, 2019, the first book in the eleven-book series, Fazbear Frights #1: Into the Pit was released on Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats. The next ten books also had their release dates and titles announced over time.

In November 2019, Cawthon announced that he would be creating a game specifically for a fundraising event for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital hosted by YouTuber MatPat, who would play the game with fellow YouTubers Dawko and Markiplier on a livestream. The game, Freddy in Space 2, was released on December 3 on Game Jolt, and included dollar amounts hidden throughout that dictated how much Cawthon would donate following the stream. He boasted that a total of $500,000 was available to find but warned that it was difficult and that he doubted they would be able to find it all, as his playtester had taken five hours to complete the game. Originally, the game had a two-hour slot to be featured in the livestream; however, Markiplier continued playing after the stream had ended and managed to find a final hidden US$100,000 that raised the total donation figure to US$451,200. Cawthon went on to donate the full US$500,000 to St. Jude's. On March 9, 2024, Cawthon appeared in an episode of The Game Theorists entitled "MatPat’s FINAL Theory!" which was MatPat's final episode appearance as host after he announced his retirement from YouTube on January 9. This was Cawthon's first public video appearance.

In June 2021, Cawthon became a trending topic on Twitter when his publicly available political donations were shared on the website. Except for one donation to then-Democratic representative Tulsi Gabbard and another donation to former Indiana House Speaker John R. Gregg, also a Democrat, all of Cawthon's donations were to Republican politicians, including Mitch McConnell and U.S. President Donald Trump. He posted on Reddit to confirm his support for the Republican Party, describing himself as pro-life. He claimed that he had been doxxed and had received threats of violence and home invasion after his donations were publicized. Reactions on social media were mixed, with some people reacting negatively. Days later, Cawthon announced his intention to step away from professional game development and appoint someone else to assume creative control of the franchise.

Cawthon resides in Salado, Texas. He has six children, including Braden Cawthon, who is a published author. In 2024, it became public knowledge that Cawthon and his wife had divorced.

section Non-Five Nights at Freddy's video games • Year — Title — Platform — Genre — Lost Media — Found by — Notes • 1994 — Untitled Pirate Game — PC — Scott's unreleased "test" game • Doofas — PC — Multidirectional shooter — "Found" by Scott himself; publicly released by Dawko in September 2017 — Scott's first full game; first shown at Dawko's charity livestream for the American Red Cross in September 2017 as a $5000 donation goal reward • 2002 — Shroomin • RPG Workshop Max / RPG Max — PC — RPG creation tool — Used to be available at the 3D asset store Renderosity • 2003 — The Fifth Paradox — PC — RPG — The Daily Click user MSTViper in June 2020 • RPG Workshop Max 2 / RPG Max 2 — PC — RPG creation tool — Sequel to RPG Workshop Max / RPG Max • Lost Island — PC • Elemage — PC — RPG — The Daily Click user Circy/Chris Street, and Discord users CavernCroc and Mari in January 2026 • Mega Knight — PC — Action/Side-scroller • Demon Knight — PC — Possibly a sequel to Mega Knight • Dungeon — PC — Partially found — A few sprites from the game have been found • Dinostria — PC — Action-adventure • Phantom Core: The Moon Mission — PC — Multidirectional shooter — Reddit users The_MPP and Convert2Double in March 2018 • Phantom Core 2 (Beta) — PC — Multidirectional shooter — Beta version of a planned Phantom Core: The Moon Mission sequel • War — PC — First-person shoot-'em-up — The Daily Click user Circy/Chris Street, and Discord users CavernCroc and Mari in January 2026 • Gunball — PC — Fixed space shooter • Stellar Gun — PC — Fixed space shooter — Reddit user MagiCraftCat in June 2017 • Ships of Chaos — PC — Fixed space shooter • Legacy of Flan — PC — RPG — The Daily Click user Spiderhead/Paul Bates in November 2016 — First Legacy of Flan game • Legacy of Flan 2: Online — PC — Online multiplayer RPG — The Daily Click user Spiderhead/Paul Bates in November 2016 — Second Legacy of Flan game • Legacy of Flan Online v2.0: Arena — PC — Online multiplayer RPG — The Daily Click user Joshtek in February 2020 — Update to Legacy of Flan 2: Online • Legacy of Flan 3: Storm of Hades — PC — Online multiplayer RPG — The Daily Click user Spiderhead/Paul Bates in November 2016 — Third Legacy of Flan game • 2004 — Flanville — PC — Online multiplayer RPG — The Daily Click user Fifth in June 2017 — Legacy of Flan spin-off; first Flanville game • Junkyard Apocalypse — PC — Online multiplayer run-and-gun • Moon Minions — PC — Online multiplayer RPG — The Daily Click user Joshtek in March 2020 • 2005 — Flanville 2 — PC — Online multiplayer RPG — Legacy of Flan spin-off; second Flanville game • Mini-Metroid — PC — Metroidvania/Platformer — The Daily Click user Fifth in June 2017 — Metroid fangame; early version of Metroid: Ripped Worlds • Metroid: Ripped Worlds — PC — Metroidvania/Platformer — The Daily Click user Circy/Chris Street in August 2020 — Metroid fangame • Legend of White Whale — PC — RPG — First Mushsnail Tale game • Chup's Quest — PC — Action RPG — Second Mushsnail Tale game • 2006 — The Misadventures of Sigfried the Dark Elf on a Tuesday Night — PC — Metroidvania/Platformer • Bogart — PC — Platformer • Bogart 2: Return of Bogart — PC — Platformer — Sequel to Bogart • Light from Above — PC — Online multiplayer RPG — The Daily Click user Fifth in October 2018 — Beta version of unfinished game • 2007 — Weird Colony — PC — Online multiplayer RPG • M.O.O.N. — PC — Metroidvania/Platformer • Legacy of Flan 4: Flan Rising — PC — RPG — Fourth Legacy of Flan game • The Desolate Room — PC — RPG — Re-released by Scott himself on Game Jolt in October 2015 — First The Desolate Series game • 2008 — Iffermoon — PC — Action RPG • 2011 — The Powermon Adventure! — PC — RPG — Pokémon parody • Doomsday Picnic — PC — Platformer • Slumberfish! — PC Android iOS — Puzzle • Slumberfish!: Catching Z's — PC — Puzzle — Sequel to Slumberfish! • The Pilgrim's Progress: The Video Game — PC — Action RPG — Never lost — Based on the novel The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan; still available for purchase in Hope Animation's website • 2012 — The Desolate Hope — PC — Adventure/RPG/platformer hybrid — Never lost — Second The Desolate Series game; only non-Five Nights at Freddy's game made by Scott Cawthon still available on Steam • 2013 — Aquatic Critters Slots — Android iOS — Mobile casino game • Vegas Fantasy Jackpot — Android iOS — Mobile casino game • Vegas Wild Slots — Android iOS — Mobile casino game • Golden Galaxy — Android iOS — Shoot-'em-up — The Desolate Series spin-off • Mafia! Slot Machine — Android iOS — Mobile casino game • Platinum Slots Collection — Android iOS — Mobile casino game • Chipper and Sons Lumber Co. — PC Android iOS — Adventure/business simulation game — Re-released by Scott himself on Game Jolt in October 2015 • Bad Waiter Tip Calculator — Android iOS • 2014 — Forever Quester — Android iOS — Idle RPG • Jumbo Slots Collection — Android iOS — Mobile casino game — Discord user PopCultureCorn in April 2026 • Pimp My Dungeon — Android iOS — Tower defense • There is No Pause Button! — Android iOS — Platformer • Fighter Mage Bard — Android iOS — RPG • Use Holy Water! — Android iOS — Target shooter • Rage Quit — Android iOS — Platformer • 20 Useless Apps — iOS — Minigame compilation • Cropple — Android iOS — Puzzle • Spooky Scan — Android iOS — "Ghost-detector" game — Discord user ultr4nima in November 2025 • Pogoduck — Android iOS — Endless runner • Scott's Fantasy Slots — Android iOS — Mobile casino game — Discord user ultr4nima in November 2025 • VIP Woodland Casino — PC Android iOS — Mobile casino game • Hawaiian Jackpots — Android iOS — Mobile casino game — Discord user PopCultureCorn in April 2026 • 8-Bit RPG Creator / Snap-A-Game: Classic RPG — PC Android iOS — RPG creation tool — The main app has been found, but the app had 2 DLC packs that are still lost due to being unavailable for purchase: Zombies Attack and Cuddly Creatures • Bible Story Slots — Android iOS — Mobile casino game — Partially found — The standalone app is still lost, but its slots were found inside Magnum Slots Collection. • Magnum Slots Collection — Android iOS — Mobile casino game — Discord user PopCultureCorn in April 2026 — Collection of slots from Scott's previous casino games • Gemsa — Android iOS — Puzzle • Fart Hotel — Android iOS — Guessing game • Chubby Hurdles — Android iOS — Endless runner • Shell Shatter — Android iOS — Puzzle • Kitty in the Crowd — Android iOS — Hidden object game • Dark Prisms — Android iOS — Puzzle • Sit 'N' Survive — Android iOS — Tower defense Cancelled games • Title — Notes • Flanville 3 — Legacy of Flan spin-off; third Flanville game • Legacy of Flan 5: The Quest for Consumption — Fifth Legacy of Flan game • Legacy of Flan remake — Remake of the original Legacy of Flan • The Desolate Abandon — Third The Desolate Series game Five Nights at Freddy's video games • Year — Title — Director — Writer — Producer — Programmer — Voice Actor — Voice Role • 2014 — Five Nights at Freddy's — "Phone Guy" • Five Nights at Freddy's 2 • 2015 — Five Nights at Freddy's 3 — "Phone Dude" and "Phone Guy" • Five Nights at Freddy's 4 — "Phone Guy" (archive sound) • 2016 — FNaF World • Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location • 2017 — Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator • 2018 — Ultimate Custom Night — "Phone Guy" (archive sound) • 2019 — Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted — "Phone Guy" and "Phone Dude" (both archive sound) • Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery • Freddy in Space 2 • 2021 — Security Breach: Fury's Rage — Himself • Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach • 2022 — Popgoes Arcade • Youtooz Presents: Five Nights at Freddy's • 2023 — Freddy in Space 3: Chica in Space • |Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 • 2024 — MyPopgoes • |Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit • 2025 — Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic • TBA — Five Laps at Freddy's • The Joy of Creation

Films • Year — Title — Creator — Director — Writer — Producer — Animator — Notes • 1997 — Three Birds and a Snake — Lost animated short film • 1999 — Birdvillage Beak's Vacation — Part of the Birdvillage series; formerly lost media, found in a VHS compilation by Reddit user kyngwzrd in November 2020 • Birdvillage Beak's Adventure • Birdvillage Beak's Snowball Fight — Part of the Birdvillage series • 2003 — Birdvillage: The Movie — Part of the Birdvillage series; formerly lost media, found in a VHS compilation by YouTube user Phillebrave in March 2024 • Birdvillage: Second Nest — Lost animated film; part of the Birdvillage series • A Mushsnail Tale — Mushsnail Tale series • Return to Mushsnail: The Legend of the Snowmill • 2004 — Noah's Ark: Story of the Biblical Flood — Based on the biblical narrative of Noah's Ark • The Pilgrim's Progress — Based on the novel of same name by John Bunyan • 2006 — A Christmas Journey: About the Blessings God Gives — an original Christmas film • Christmas Symbols — Animated short film included on the DVD release of A Christmas Journey: About the Blessings God Gives • 2010 — Bible Plays: David and Golliath — Bible Plays short film series • Bible Plays: Noah's Ark • 2023 — Five Nights at Freddy's — Live-action films based on his video-game series Five Nights at Freddy's; co-produced with Blumhouse • 2025 — Five Nights at Freddy's 2 Animator only • Year — Title — Notes • 2001-2009 — Earth Science — Educational direct-to-video films for the company Rock 'N Learn • Human Body • Life Science • Physical Science • Alphabet Circus • Money & Making Change • Division Rap • Dance with the Animals • Getting Ready for Kindergarten • Writing Strategies (Proofreading Skills and Writing Skills) • Reading Comprehension • Math Word Problems • What is Multiplication? — Educational direct-to-video short film for the company Rock 'N Learn, included as a bonus feature on a DVD called Multiplication Rap • Telling Time — Educational direct-to-video films for the company Rock 'N Learn • Nursery Rhymes Series • Year — Title — Creator — Director — Writer — Producer — Animator — Notes • 2010 — The Jesus's Kids Club — 6 episodes • 2021 — Freddy & Friends: On Tour! — 4 episodes; miniseries of teasers for the video-game Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach, co-directed with Jason Topolski • 2024 — The Game Theorists — 1 episode: "MatPat’s FINAL Theory!" - Himself (cameo) • 2025 — MCM Archive — 4 episodes; miniseries of teasers for the video-game Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic, co-directed with Jason Topolski