survival horror game developed by Scott Cawthon. The player takes the role of Mike Schmidt, a night security guard at a family pizzeria. Schmidt must complete his shifts without being caught by the homicidal animatronic characters (Freddy Fazbear cosplayer pictured) that wander the restaurant at night. Cawthon conceived Five Nights at Freddy's based on criticism of Chipper & Sons Lumber Co., his previous game. Reviewers complained of its unintentionally frightening characters, inspiring Cawthon to create an intentionally scarier experience. Five Nights at Freddy's was first released for Windows on August 8, 2014. It received positive reviews, and became the subject of Let's Play videos on YouTube, gaining a large fan following. The game's success inspired its own media franchise, and its popularity led to thousands of imitations and fan
