Five Nights at Freddy’s is one of the most beloved horror game franchises, and it had many unique characters from the mascot—a talking animatronic bear—to an evil cupcake. This game was an important part of many YouTubers like MatPat and Markiplier’s careers. The first installment of the FNaF games was released on August 8th, 2014 with the first sequel following shortly after. FNaF went on to have nine different game installments, 28 books and an upcoming movie.
By the time the fourth installment was released there was one “complete” story. A man by the name of William Afton opened a pizzeria with animatronic mascots that use a spring lock mechanism. Unfortunately, William Afton’s son was fatally bitten by the Fredbear animatronic which in turn led to William’s descent into madness where he began murdering children and stuffing them into animatronic suits. The children stuffed into the suits went on to possess the animatronics and seek revenge for their murders. This story was simple yet interesting, and the story was told through clues that fans of the games would search for. Because of the somewhat hidden lore YouTubers like MatPat gained popularity for their fan theories.
With the release of the fifth installment, Sister Location, the story of FNaF began to get more complicated. This would only continue as the franchise began incorporating books into the story. Soon a substance called “remnant” would be introduced. After this the story just kept becoming more and more convoluted. By the time that Five Nights at Freddy’s AR: Special Delivery was released, we were introduced to more characters and even more complicated storylines, such as Vanny being mind controlled by William Afton’s ghost.
Another issue I have with the later Five Nights at Freddy’s games is that they stopped being scary, and this is because the characters became cuter and geared towards younger kids. And in my honest opinion I think that Five Nights at Freddy’s should have been finished after Sister Location. Despite that I do not think that the upcoming movie is being overhyped; I think that the FNaF movie will not introduce a new storyline and will mainly just stick to its original storyline of just a security guard stuck in the night shift.
In less than ten years Five Nights at Freddy’s has managed to capture the attention of the internet, and the entire world. Although one can make the argument that the franchise has decreased in quality, there is evidence supporting that FNaF has never been stronger.
With each new installment, more questions get answered and more mysteries are created, allowing for closure on some aspects of the lore but still allowing the story to continue. The franchise is now more than just possessed animatronics; over the years it has expanded into an amazing, layered story filled with tragedy and intrigue.
Sure, there are a lot of games. There are also a lot of books, all of which are supposed to fit together. But honestly if the game had remained a single installment it probably wouldn’t have been as big of a cultural success. Many of the fan favorite characters and a lot of the most interesting aspects of the lore come from the later sequels.
Something that makes FNaF so great is that it’s a series that goes beyond horror, with many communities of all ages becoming fans and supporters. It’s ok for FNaF to be treated as lighthearted and kid friendly on one side with plush videos and toys, because I can guarantee that the other side is making FNaF as horrifying as possible with VHS tape animations and disturbing imagery. FNaF and its characters have become more than just their intent to be scary: they have become symbols and comfort. FNaF can be anything to hardcore fans, and in many ways has outgrown its original purpose in the best way possible.
Now that the movie is finally coming to theaters after several years of delays, the FNaF community is coming together to celebrate the game that for many people built their childhoods and teens years. Every big franchise has their ups and downs, and there are a lot that go down and never go back up. But clearly, FNaF hasn’t gone all the way down, and it is nowhere near going down. With more games being released and the movie, FNaF will continue to thrive for years to become bigger than ever before.
