Retronauts Episode 635: Five Nights at Freddy’s

“You’re the birthday, you’re the birthday, you’re the birthday BOY or GIRL!”

Chuck E. Cheese’s nostalgia confuses me. I went to one, and I enjoyed it fine, but my enthusiasm for classic arcade games and pizza are not tied to any animatronic animals; this seemingly casts me as an outlier amongst my contemporaries. A John Oliver video breaking down the company’s bizarre history racked up 6 million views in just six months as of this writing.

Yet something about furry droids must really connect with humans on a deeper level, as evidenced by the now-10-year-old runaway train that is Five Nights at Freddy’s. The indie horror game quickly connected with players and audiences thanks to streaming platforms and YouTube, turning solo developer Scott Cawthon into a sudden success story after years of non-horror projects.

With sequels, spinoffs, fanworks, and even a feature film adaptation (two if you count obvious homage Willy’s Wonderland), host Nadia Oxford and guest Mat Bradley-Tschirgi decided 2024 is the perfect time to look back at a decade of FNAF.

Description: Nadia and guest Mat Bradley-Tschirgi talk about the 10th anniversary of the animatronic animal horror game phenomenon Five Nights at Freddy’s.

Retronauts is made possible by listener support through Patreon! Support the show to enjoy ad-free early access, better audio quality, and great exclusive content. Learn more at patreon.com/retronauts.

MP3, XX MB | 1yyyy Direct download Retronauts on iTunes Retronauts at Audioboom

Artwork for this episode by XYZ and editing thanks go to Greg Leahy.