Five Nights and seven bears ago…
Love it or hate it, theFive Nights at Freddy’sseries is a roaring success, and is surely raking in even more cash after the recently released fourth game. Developer Scott Cawthon has taken to the Steam Community forums to answer the haters and inspire his fans.
Cawthon thanks his fans for all of the support and acknowledges their concerns about him being stressed, noting, “It’s true that I’m stressed a little; but it’s ok because the result was good … All I can do is judge from the Steam review that I’ve been mostly successful.”
“It’s true that there has been a lot of hate toward me lately,” Cawthon writes in response to his harsher critics. “It’s difficult when people seem to dislike you only because you’ve found success with something. I think some people have this idea that I spend my days swimming in gold coins like Scrooge McDuck, cranking out games with no effort… I think that people who hate on me for being successful are misguided.”
Cawthon reminds us that he wasn’t always some mover and shaker — “Did you know that last year I was working at Dollar General?” — but that doesn’t mean he is going crazy with his success and money. “I’m doing my best to be responsible with that success. I don’t party on weekends, I don’t get drunk or sip martinis. I spend my evenings playingMega Man 3, buster only, with my kids.”
“The reason I’m telling you all of this is to make sure you know that I’m human. I have a lot of flaws and I’ve made a lot of mistakes. My games aren’t perfect, and they never will be,” Cawthon humbly admits. But he has a more important message to convey: “You should never listen to people who criticize success simply because it’s success.”
The main message behind all this seems to be to get out there and do what you love, and don’t give up on the dream. “Who will be the next game designer? Who will make the next game for Markiplier to play? Make sure that it’s you! Focus on your success, and your story,” Cawthon’s encouraging words continue. “Don’t fall into the pit of people who have given up on making something of themselves.”
The 44-year-old developer reminds us he isn’t getting any younger, stating, “I’m getting too old for this. And when I retire someday, I’m going to want to sit down at a computer and play YOUR games… You are tomorrow’s next big thing.”
I may not like his games, but I have to hand it to the guy — he clearly works hard and can write a hell of an inspirational speech. I couldn’t help but think the whole time about terribly hilarious ways it could be misquoted, such as:
FNAF’s dev: “I spend my days swimming in gold coins like Scrooge McDuck, cranking out games with no effort, then laughing all the way to the bank.”
FNAF’s dev: “I… party on weekends, I… get drunk or sip martinis”
FNAF’s dev: “Who will make the next game for Markiplier to play?” (Oh wait…)
Make a Difference [Steam Community]