One of the most eagerly awaited games currently under development is the latest installment of
the Five Night’s at Freddy’s series of games, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach.
Slated for release this year, the keen fans have lept tabs on the progress of the game which is
being developed by Steel Wool Studios, who developed the previous installment of the series,
Five Nights at Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted. Security Breach is set to become the eighth game in
the popular series which has invited a cult following among indie game fans.
The popular series has been conceptualized, designed, and developed by Scott Cawthon and is
centered on Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a fictional pizza joint. The series has been available for
Microsoft Windows, Android, and iOS platforms and has been popular since the launch of the
first game. The popularity of the series has already resulted in the sale of merchandise and the
creation of guide books, activity books, and novelizations. As fans eagerly await the launch of
the new game, let us take a look at its history and development landscape.
A Brief Background
The birth of the series came, ironically, from criticism of Scott Cawthon’s earlier release,
Chipper and Sons Lumber Co. Cawthon, who was known for developing games with a
Christian theme, used the feedback constructively and built something that was intentionally
more frightening.
In the first three installments, the gameplay was based around the titular pizza joint where the
player could take control of a night security guard. The games heavily featured animatronic
antagonists and the player would have to guard against them using a variety of tools and
cameras.
The later installments of the game took the action to other places and introduced other
characters. The last release of the series incorporated virtual reality gameplay. The upcoming
game is touted to get a new venue, a modern shopping mall, where the action would take place.
Development and News
The first glimpse of the game came from developer Cawthon when he posted a teaser on his
website hinting at the eighth installment of the franchise. The teaser features a modern shopping
mall setting, replete with a Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza restaurant, a movie theater, an arcade, and a
laser tag arena among other things.
In the mall setting, an animatronic band can be seen performing for a cheering crowd holding
glowsticks. The band contains several “glamrock” animatronics, including Glamrock Freddy,
Glamrock Chica, Roxanne Wolf, and Montgomery Gator.
An updated teaser later consolidated the glam rock theme and confirmed the presence of
glamrock animatronics. This teaser featured Glamrock Freddy.
A very interesting updated teaser was seen in November 2019 which featured a silhouetted
character looking like a rabbit-human hybrid named Vanny who was featured in the earlier
installment. Another teaser unveiled an entirely new animatronic designed like an alligator
called Glamrock Monty.
Earlier this year, an Amazon posting showed the upcoming calendar of the game with a cover
that featured Glamrock Freddy, Roxanne Wolf, and Glamrock Monty. The name of the game
was finally revealed to be Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach in May when the developer
released a teaser with the name.
The most recent teaser has featured the image of a female security guard who is very likely to
be an important supporting character or the main protagonist of the game. The game is being
developed by Steel Wool Studios, a company particularly well-known for its development of
popular indie VR titles.
Leaks, Rumors, and Release
One of the events that gave rise to major fan consternation was the leak of several game
characters by pop culture collectibles company Funko. Earlier, in April, Funko started
showcasing action figures that depict the characters from the upcoming game. This leaked the
majority of the character roster including character names and appearances, causing longtime
fans to be upset.
Loyal fans have a strong connection to the creator of the game who has always valued control
over leaks and rumors. Their solidarity with Cawthon caused quite a few fans to express
displeasure with Funko. Things got further complicated when Funko released their calendar
calling the game Pizza Plex.
Reportedly, Cawthon also was upset by this leak due to the wrong name being displayed and
also the use of unfinished character models to create the action figures. This is in direct
contravention to the wishes of the creator and that is what fans took exception to.
Scott Cawthon, however, went on to reassure the fans by asking them not to be much bothered
by these leaks and rumors. He also promised them that going forward, things would be handled
very differently. However, it is not yet known in detail about the changes that would be
implemented due to these leaks and rumors.
The game is rumored to release within December 2020 with no clear release date pinpointed
yet. The previous installment of the game adopted VR gameplay and was also nominated for the
VR game of the year in the 2019 Steam Awards. Whether the new game will be a VR title or a
more traditional point and click affair remains to be seen. With a small size, the game is likely
to be available for all platforms including PC and mobile.
The Future
With the release imminent, fans remain excited for the next installment of the popular Five
Nights at Freddy’s series. Fan anticipation has been on a high with a gradual building of hype
thanks to regular teasers although game trailers have not been forthcoming yet.
It is also paramount to remember that the popularity of this cult classic franchise can soar to
new heights as it is slated to be adapted to the silver screen. The adaptation is being conducted
by Blumhouse Productions and the film rights have already been picked up by Warner Bros.
The project, which is currently looking for screenwriters, is slated to be produced by KatzSmith
Productions with David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith coming together with Roy Lee to
handle production duties. Considering all these developments, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security
Breach is a much-awaited release that has the potential of multiplying fan engagement with the
franchise.