TheFive Nights at Freddy’sseries is currently nearing its ninth anniversary, and since its very inception it has employed a unique and, at first, exciting approach to releasing its products. Over the years, fans have been asked to sift through cryptic images and virtual code to determine things ranging from release dates to essential lore reveals. While this process was highly celebrated for a time, the past four years have seen that approach backfire, as extremely long bouts of silence have caused many fans to become frustrated. That all changed this month, as May 2023 has brokena majorFive Nights at Freddy’stradition.
Five Nights at Freddy’sis the creation of Scott Cawthon, who made the original title following negative feedback on his previous work,Chipper and Sons Lumber Co.WhileChipper and Sonswas his passion project, reviews cited the game as “unintentionally terrifying”, comparing its main protagonist, Chipper, to “a scary animatronic animal”. Cawthon released the firstFive Nights at Freddy’sin October 2014, quickly following it up with a sequel. Over the course of the next four years, Cawthon would attempt to end the series multiple times, before cyclically releasing cryptic messages and shadow-dropping sequels. In 2019,FNAF: Security Breachwas announced, marking a new and arduous period in the series' history. While it remains to be seen ifFNAF’s next chapter will be better received, the approach toHelp Wanted 2and other recent announcements is certainly a nice change of pace.
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Five Nights at Freddy’s Cryptic Reputation Caught Up With It
In 2015, an officialmovie adaptation of theFive Nights at Freddy’sfranchisewas announced from Warner Brothers. As the games were barely a year old at the time, fans were universally excited about the news. However, the film’s development quickly fell silent, leading many fans to question whether it would ever see release. The game series continued to evolve and, in 2019, a full-fledged survival horror title,Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breachwas announced. Despite the series' evolution,FNAF’s cryptic reputation endured, causing the fandom to question each and every word from those tied to either project’s development.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breachtook many years to develop, during which it became the sole production of developer Steel Wool Studios. As fans fervently sought any and all information surrounding the title, Steel Wool struggled to emulate the past, leading to fans' frustration. Originally slated for a 2020 release,Security Breachhad yet to be officially revealed prior to the COVID pandemic delaying it into 2021. Following over a year of complete silence,Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breachwas revealed during September 2020’s PS5 Showcase, before releasing a whole 15 months later in December 2021. When it was released, its long gestation, and lack of context, came back to haunt it, as the title struggled to function on multiple platforms and delivered a story lacking ties to the greaterFNAFlore.
May 2023 Has Broken A Longtime FNAF Tradition, For the Better
Following the divisive release ofSecurity Breach, Steel Wool Studios went back to the drawing board. Leaving behind the series' tradition of cryptic and lengthy periods of development,Steel Wool released a cryptic poster for a freeSecurity BreachDLC, titledRuin, just five months later. The developer then continued to keep the fandom abreast of developments, allying itself with fans to endure the wait while keeping details a secret. Then, one year later, the developer went all in, helping to create what is unanimously the most rewarding month in the fandom’s history.
On June 01, 2025, Blumhouse ended 8 years of silence, releasingthe first trailer for theFNAFmovie adaptation. Three days later, Steel Wool unexpectedly revealed a lengthy trailer forFive Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach Ruin, leading fans to label the week as the best in fandom history. Then, Steel Wool truly went above and beyond all expectations, making a surprise appearance at this week’s PlayStation Showcase, where it announced a completely new title,Help Wanted 2, for the PSVR2. With these announcements, it appears thatFNAF’s long, and often toxic, traditions are broken. Fans and developers alike hope that this can usher in a new era for theFive Nights at Freddy’sseries, allowing both camps to continue forward with greater transparency while avoiding uninformed expectations.
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