Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Creator / ScottCawthon

Go To

1%%
2%% Image selected per Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16985523390.63967000
3%% Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread.
4%%
5[[quoteright:251:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sc_2.png]]
6[[caption-width-right:251:[[SelfDeprecation A complete lunatic]] ([[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysVRHelpWanted lawsuit pending]]).]]
7-> ''"Now let me show you how this game ends."''
8-->-- Scott Cawthon [[spoiler:as the final boss of ''FNAF World]]''
9
10Scott Braden Cawthon (born 1978) is an American independent VideoGame developer.
11
12Scott's early career included Christian games and simple platformers, as well as the [[GameplayRoulette platformer adventure roleplay game]] ''VideoGame/TheDesolateHope'' (which was the SpiritualSuccessor of ''[[http://gamejolt.com/games/the-desolate-room/96922 The Desolate Room]]''), the roleplay game ''[[https://archive.org/details/Iffermoon Iffermoon]]'' and the {{construction and management game|s}} ''VideoGame/ChipperAndSonsLumberCo''.
13
14However, most of his games were harshly criticized; in the case of the lattermost game, the characters' stiff movements were likened to unnerving animatronic creatures. Discouraged, Scott decided to make one more game before ending his game career. Running with the criticism, he created a game about a security guard working the night shift at a restaurant whose mascot animatronics have murderous minds of their own. This was ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys1''.
15
16The game was far from the end of his career, however, as online exposure and LetsPlay videos skyrocketed ''FNAF'' to fame. People enjoyed its combination of suspense and outright horror, and the characters proved to be very popular [[note]]albeit sometimes [[ViewerGenderConfusion contro]][[TheChewToy versial]][[/note]]. The vague storyline also intrigued people and spawned a number of theories. In response, [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2 three]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3 terrifying]] [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4 sequels]] were made...''in the course of one year''... with [[{{VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation}} a fourth sequel out in 2016]], and then [[VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator another sequel in 2017]]. A spinoff game called ''Videogame/FiveNightsAtFreddysWorld'' was released in 2016 as a lighthearted RPG starring the characters from the games.
17
18On June 16, 2021, Scott announced his retirement from the ''FNAF'' games, citing age and family, though noting that the franchise will continue in someone else's hands. Despite this, Scott continues to write the ''Fazbear Frights: Tales from the Pizzaplex'' series, and additionally co-wrote and co-produced the [[Film/FiveNightsAtFreddys2023 2023 film]] based on the franchise.
19----
20!!Scott's works with Website/TVTropes pages:
21[[index]]
22* ''VideoGame/ChipperAndSonsLumberCo''
23* ''VideoGame/TheDesolateHope''
24* ''Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys''
25** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys1''
26** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2''
27** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3''
28** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4''
29** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation''
30** ''VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator''
31*** ''VideoGame/UltimateCustomNight''
32** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysWorld''
33*** ''VideoGame/FreddyInSpace2''
34** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysVRHelpWanted''
35*** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysHelpWanted2''
36** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysARSpecialDelivery''
37** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach''
38*** ''VideoGame/SecurityBreachFurysRage''
39** ''Film/FiveNightsAtFreddys2023''
40** ''Literature/FiveNightsAtFreddysTheSilverEyes''
41** ''Literature/FiveNightsAtFreddysTheTwistedOnes''
42** ''Literature/FiveNightsAtFreddysTheFourthCloset''
43** ''Literature/FiveNightsAtFreddysFazbearFrights''
44
45[[/index]]
46----
47!!Tropes applying to Scott's works include:
48* AuthorAvatar: His avatar is the man from "There Is No Pause Button", which Scott nicknamed Animdude on sites like Reddit.
49* AuthorTract: Many of his earlier project were done with the intents of teaching Christian values to children, as Scott is himself a devout Christian conservative. One of his most notable (and succesful) example of this is ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', a game adapted from the [[Literature/ThePilgrimsProgress book of the same name]] with a heavy-handed religious theme. However, due to these games not selling well, Scott gradually began to shift to concepts with a wider appeal, it's for this reason that ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' isn't an example of this.
50* CreatorBacklash:
51** His view on ''[=FNaF=] World'' is pretty sour. A few months after giving the game a major update with post-game content, he eventually came to regret the game's [[MindScrew bizarre plotline]], mistakes he claimed he made early in the production, and the number of debates that it had sparked overall. He wrote the Android/[=iOS=] port description in to SelfDeprecation (to the point where he called it "the game that almost single handedly destroyed the [=FNaF=] franchise") and then cancelled the ports altogether, and its official website had gone completely black.
52** Scott expressed regrets for, in his own words, "squandering years of [his] life" on Christian game that didn't succeed commercially, as said [[https://www.geeksundergrace.com/gaming/developer-spotlight-scott-cawthon/ in an interview]]. Though he did eventually expressed interest in making [=RPGs=] again in his post announcing his retirement.
53* CreatorBreakdown: Cawthon took the criticisms for ''VideoGame/ChipperAndSonsLumberCo'' very hard, the complaints about how his characters looked creepy almost driving him to retire. He managed to later take the criticism, however, and turn it into a CareerResurrection by dialing the creep-factor of his [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys1 next game]] up to eleven.
54* DescendedCreator: He started making game and animations alone and was pretty much doing all the work himself, including modelling, animation, programming and voice acting.
55* DoingItForTheArt: While Scott openly admits that game making is a career he does for a living, ''VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator'' and ''VideoGame/UltimateCustomNight'' were done for the sole purpose of expanding the ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' franchise. Scott feared to be seen as milking it for money, so he decided to make them free.
56* EasterEgg: His signature way of delivering information, usually by making information visible when a teaser image is brightened.
57* FriendlyRivalry: He and Creator/MatPat had a bit of a thing going on, with Scott even telling him he was wrong and screwing with him on a few occasions such as confirming an old theory... on April Fool's Day. They're on friendly terms however, with Scott even congratulating Mat and his wife on their new baby. Scott even made a completely new game for Matt, Markiplier, Dawko and DJ Sterf to play for a charity livestream, saying he would donate $500,000 if they found all the money in the game. They didn’t, but Scott still donated the $500,000. Eventually, during [=MatPat's=] final Game Theory video as the host of the show on March 9th, 2024, Scott Cawthon himself appeared at the very end of the video.
58* NightmareFetishist: Scott has stated that Bonnie the Bunny gave him nightmares while developing the first FNAF game. This didn't stop him from making more horrifying designs in future games.
59* ProductionPosse: Most of the musics heard in his games are made by composer Leon Riskin.
60* SelfDeprecation: Has been known to release games ''far'' ahead of schedule. He began mocking this with the release announcement of FNAF 4 and the teaser for FNAF World. Reached new levels when he revealed that [[spoiler: he's the TrueFinalBoss of [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysWorld FNaF World]] not due to ego, but because he figured some of the fans would enjoy killing him. ''Ouch'']].
61* TeasingCreator: He manages to top this in 2017 with ''VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator''. After ''Five Nights At Freddy's 6'' had to be delayed numerous times, he released this as a fun sidegame for free, both to give the fans something to tide them over in the meantime, and so that he wouldn't go a whole year without releasing something. None of the game's teasers suggested that it was anything but what it was advertised as. As it turns out? This ''is'' the sixth game in the series, and the retro gameplay falls apart after a few minutes to reveal the game's true nature. The best part? He released this game ''for free'', meaning ''[[TheChessmaster he made zero money off the game just for the sake of fooling everyone]]''!
62* TrollingCreator:
63** Is ''infamous'' for it. Special mention would have to go to the troll "games" he's created, and everything to do with his "lolz_hax" persona.
64** In 2016, he announced that ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'' would be delayed while he retooled it into a more family-friendly form, but that he'd release the "mature" version in installments. Installment 1 turned out to be a reskin of his survival game, "Sit 'N' Survive", putting the main character in a Freddy Fazbear mask.
65** Upon the release of ''Film/FiveNightsAtFreddys2023'' he promised a RecursiveAdaptation game only for it to be ''Freddy In Space 3''.
66** Even in matters not relating directly to his games, he's this. When asked in an interview what his birthday is, he answered February 31st.
67* TrueFinalBoss: [[spoiler: Scott himself appears in ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysWorld'' as the final boss of Hard Mode.]]

Top