Five Nights at Freddy’s was created by American game developer Scott Cawthon.

Who Scott Cawthon Is

Scott Cawthon is a U.S. indie game developer, writer, and producer best known as the creator of the Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) horror game series. Before FNAF, he mainly made small, family-friendly Christian games that received limited attention.

How FNAF Started

The idea for FNAF came after players said the animal character in Cawthon’s earlier game, Chipper & Sons Lumber Co., looked like a scary animatronic. Instead of abandoning the project, he leaned into the criticism and intentionally built a horror game around creepy animatronic characters, which became the first FNAF in 2014.

FNAF As A Franchise

The first game’s success turned FNAF into a full horror franchise with multiple sequels, spin‑offs, books, and a film adaptation, all originally overseen by Cawthon. Even after stepping back from day‑to‑day development, he has remained the central creative figure associated with the series’ direction.

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