Scott Cawthon, the creator of the Five Nights at Freddy's games, has announced that he is retiring from the series — but said that his retirement will not be the end of the beloved survival horror franchise. The news follows a controversy launched by a discovery that Cawthon made donations to Republican candidates during the 2020 U.S. election.

On Wednesday, game designer Scott Cawthon announced his retirement from making Five Night's at Freddy's games in a letter posted on his website. In the statement, Cawthon talks about having had a "blessed and fulfilling career" while working on the game series that started in 2014 with Five Nights at Freddy's, and as of 2021, it includes 10 main games and several spin-offs.

I've had a blessed, fulfilling, and rich career. I've been shown great kindness and I've tried to show great kindness in return. I've tried to make some good games (let the debate ensue), and I've witnessed the creation of possibly the most creative and talented fanbase on the planet.
I have been shown tremendous love and support over this last week, a lot of which has come from the LGBTQ community. The kindness shown to me has been surreal.

Cawthon has clarified that his retirement does not mean the end of Five Nights at Freddy's, as the duty to continue the legacy of the franchise will fall on a person of Cawthon's choosing. As for Cawthon himself, he is planning to continue video game development, but will instead focus on doing it for his kids and for fun, and will likely try his hand at making RPGs again.

Is this the end of FNAF? No. This just means that someone else will eventually be running the show; someone of my choosing, and someone that I trust.

Last week, Cawthon became a subject of discussions online after screenshots of his donations to Republican candidates during the 2020 U.S. elections went viral on social media. Prior to announcing his retirement, the designer made a Reddit post in which he stood by his views and refused to make any apologies.

The news of Cawthon's retirement sent the "#ThankYouScott" hashtag trending on Twitter as many Five Nights at Freddy's fans thanked the designer for his years of working on the franchise that spawned countless fan art and memes.

I remember having a lot of fun playing the FNAF games with my friends, thanks for those good times Scott.

I did this a while ago, now is good chance to show it as a tribute to this amazing franchise. #ThankYouScott pic.twitter.com/aQNHVrY7zZ

— ☕ Albert Bittersweet~ ☕ (@albert_rbk) June 17, 2021

FNaF was there when I needed it most, and even if Scott is not part of it anymore I will continue to love the franchise and buy the merch. #ThankYouScott its been a wild ride, and im sorry it had to end this way. pic.twitter.com/tycSG2Mu5I

— El_Cosmic_Squid098 (@ESquid098) June 17, 2021

this was originally for when scott was getting hated on, but now it’s been repurposed for thanking Scott#ThankYouScott pic.twitter.com/ac5lWwqNQL

— Endo of Rock (@Endo_of_Rock) June 17, 2021

Scott Cawthon started a million-dollar franchise that's lasted nearly 7 years and then retired before Yandere Simulator finished development

— ⭐🏳️‍🌈StupidButterfly🏳️‍🌈⭐ (Comms filled) (@Kailokek) June 17, 2021