In a statement published on his own personal website, Cawthon said that he’s had a “blessed, fulfilling, and rich career” that allowed him to “witness the creation of possibly the most creative and talented fanbase on the planet”. Cawthon added that he missed making games for his kids and just doing it for fun. He then clarified that he is now retiring. He thanked his fans, especially the LGBTQ community, saying that the kindness that’s been shown to him “has been surreal.”
What Was The Controversy Behind Cawthon’s Retirement?
Cawthon’s decision to include the LGBTQ community in the statement on his website comes following the recent controversy surrounding his political donations. In particular, his donations that were given to Republican politicians. Among these were former United States President, Donald Trump. Information o\n his donations, which totaled more than $42,000, made their way to Twitter and Reddit in June 2021. Before his retirement, Cawthon would respond to the controversy in a Reddit thread where he hinted at his retirement. In the said statement, Cawthon wrote, “I don’t do this for the money anymore; I do it because I enjoy it”. He adds that he’s had a fulfilling career. He explains that “maybe it’s better that I get canceled and retire” if audiences thought that he was doing “more harm than good now.” With that said, Cawthon did make sure that the future of the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise was not left in the air. He guaranteed that he will hand over the series to someone else following his retirement. At the moment, a movie adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy’s is in the works with a sequel on its way. For now, all we can do is wait for who Cawthon taps to succeed him as the developers of Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach. If this is truly the end of Cawthon’s horror survival game series, then it has enjoyed quite a good run. After the release of Five Nights at Freddy’s in 2014, Cawthon has released nearly a dozen sequels and spin-offs. The successes of the games also spilled over to other media. Multiple novels and short stories based on Five Nights at Freddy’s has also been published over the years.
