Game Theory: FNAF, Thanks For The Memories
Summary
TLDRIn this heartfelt video, MatPat bids farewell to his iconic 'Five Nights at Freddy's' series, reflecting on the profound impact of Scott Cawthon's decision to create one final game despite adversity. MatPat traces FNAF's remarkable journey, from its humble beginnings to its multimillion-dollar success, spawning a new generation of game developers, reshaping the horror genre, and influencing industries like publishing, film, and YouTube. As he prepares to pass the torch, MatPat celebrates the series' legacy, highlighting how small decisions can trigger a domino effect of positive change, inspiring others to create and spread kindness.
Takeaways
- 😀 This is Mat Pat's final FNAF theory video before retiring as the host of Game Theory.
- 🦋 The decision by Scott Cawthon to create FNAF after initially planning to quit game development was a 'butterfly effect' that had far-reaching impacts across various industries.
- 💰 The FNAF franchise has generated an estimated revenue of $94 million from Steam sales alone, not including other platforms and merchandise.
- 🎮 FNAF inspired a new generation of game developers, with thousands of fan games being created on platforms like Game Jolt.
- 🔪 FNAF pioneered the 'mascot horror' genre, influencing numerous other games, books, and movies in this style.
- 📚 The success of FNAF book adaptations led to the creation of AFK, a dedicated video game book publishing arm at Scholastic.
- 🎥 The FNAF movie, with a $20 million budget, earned nearly $300 million and impacted the priorities of film studios.
- 💻 FNAF provided a significant boost to the careers of many YouTubers, including popular Let's Players and theorists.
- 💸 The success of FNAF theory videos on YouTube generated an estimated $24.57 million in ad revenue.
- 🌟 Mat Pat acknowledges the positive impact FNAF has had on his own career and platform, allowing him to support other creators and charitable causes.
Q & A
What is the significance of this video being Mat Pat's final FNAF theory?
-This video marks the end of Mat Pat's coverage and legacy with the Five Nights at Freddy's (FNAF) series after years of theorizing and analyzing the games. It represents a farewell to a franchise that had a profound impact on his career and the YouTube community.
How did FNAF's success impact the gaming industry?
-FNAF's success led to the creation of 12 games in the franchise, generating over $94 million in revenue on Steam alone. It also inspired a new generation of game designers who created thousands of FNAF fan games, some of which evolved into their own successful franchises.
What impact did FNAF have on other media industries?
-FNAF's popularity led to the creation of movies, books, and music based on the franchise. It also influenced the publishing industry, with Scholastic launching a video game book department after the success of the FNAF book trilogy. The FNAF movie, produced by Blumhouse, earned nearly $300 million.
How did FNAF affect the YouTube community?
-FNAF gave rise to many popular YouTubers, such as Markiplier and Cory X Kenshin, who saw their careers accelerate alongside the game releases. It also spawned the theorist community, with channels like Game Theory analyzing the lore and hidden details of the games.
What is the significance of the butterfly effect in relation to FNAF?
-Mat Pat uses the concept of the butterfly effect to illustrate how Scott Cawthon's decision to create one final game (FNAF) after facing rejection had a profound and far-reaching impact on various industries, careers, and lives.
How did FNAF contribute to charitable causes?
-The success of FNAF and its impact on the YouTube community enabled creators like Mat Pat and Markiplier to organize and contribute to various charity events, raising millions of dollars for organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
What is the key message Mat Pat wants to convey in this final FNAF theory?
-Mat Pat emphasizes that even small decisions can have a massive impact and create positive change in the world. He encourages viewers to recognize the power of kindness and positivity in their daily lives, as these small acts can create a ripple effect of goodness.
Why was FNAF's approach to horror gaming unique?
-Unlike traditional horror games that relied on psychological horror and kept monsters hidden, FNAF put its brightly colored animatronic monsters front and center, making the games more thumbnail-friendly and family-friendly. This gave rise to the mascot horror subgenre.
How did FNAF influence the movie industry's priorities?
-The success of the FNAF movie caught the attention of Hollywood studios, which were struggling to attract audiences. Studios recognized the potential of tapping into FNAF's online community, leading them to consider prioritizing similar projects in the future.
What economic impact did the FNAF movie have on New Orleans?
-By shooting the FNAF movie in New Orleans, a significant portion of the $20 million budget was injected into the local economy, providing jobs and revenue for local businesses, actors, and resources. This helped revive the city's film production industry after tax incentives were previously rolled back.
Outlines
🎥 The Final FNAF Theory and Retrospective
Mat begins by stating that this will be his final FNAF theory video, after having made over 10 final theories previously. He reminisces about his journey covering Five Nights at Freddy's, including live talkbacks and remixes. Mat announces that he will be retiring as the host of Game Theory, with Tom taking over. He also teases a premiere for his final Game Theory video on March 9th at 2 PM ET, where he will say goodbye after 13 years. Additionally, he reminds viewers that his MatPat figurine and FNAF pins will retire and be gone forever after March 9th.
🦋 The Butterfly Effect of FNAF
Mat explains the concept of the butterfly effect, where small changes can lead to massive consequences, and how it relates to the origins of FNAF. He discusses how Scott Cawthon's decision to create one final game after facing criticism and rejection for his previous games ended up reshaping the gaming industry, YouTube, and the entire entertainment world. Mat highlights how FNAF's success has led to numerous spin-offs, merchandise, and collaborations with various game studios, generating millions in revenue.
🎮 FNAF's Impact on Game Development
Mat explores how FNAF has inspired a new generation of game designers, with thousands of fan games being created on platforms like Game Jolt. He discusses how some of these fan game developers have found success and turned their projects into full-fledged franchises. Additionally, Mat mentions how FNAF's success has led to the rise of the 'mascot horror' genre, influencing games like Poppy Playtime, Bendy and the Ink Machine, and Hello Neighbor, as well as spawning book adaptations and movie deals.
📺 FNAF's Influence on YouTube and Creators
Mat explores how FNAF has had a significant impact on YouTube, giving rise to some of the biggest names on the platform, such as Markiplier and Cory X Kenshin. He discusses how FNAF's hidden details and lore ignited the theorist community, leading to numerous channels creating content around solving the mysteries. Mat also highlights how FNAF's success has allowed creators to pursue bigger projects, run charity events, and even start their own platforms, creating an ecosystem where new IPs can thrive.
🙏 A Message of Gratitude and Positivity
Mat expresses his gratitude to Scott Cawthon for the impact that FNAF has had, affecting millions of people and billions of dollars across various industries. He reflects on the power of small decisions and the domino effect they can create. Mat encourages viewers to embrace the spirit of positivity and kindness, as even small acts can make a massive difference in someone's life. Finally, he reminds viewers of his upcoming final Game Theory premiere on March 9th, where he will celebrate with the community one last time as a theorist.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡FNAF Theory
💡Game Theory
💡Legacy
💡Butterfly Effect
💡Scott Cawthon
💡Mascot Horror
💡Fan Games
💡YouTube Community
💡FNAF Movie
💡Economic Impact
Highlights
Announcement of the final FNAF Theory, marking the end of an era for Game Theory.
Reflection on the legacy of Five Nights at Freddy's and its impact on gaming and YouTube.
The decision to lean into creepy robotic animations led to the creation of FNAF.
FNAF's success inspired a new generation of game developers.
The series has sold 9.9 million copies on Steam alone.
FNAF's influence led to the creation of the mascot horror genre.
The FNAF movie's significant box office success.
FNAF's contribution to changing the landscape of horror games.
The butterfly effect of Scott Cawthon's decision to not give up.
The impact of FNAF on print publishing, leading to new video game book franchises.
FNAF's role in supporting small game studios and independent developers.
The creation of a vibrant fan game community with thousands of FNAF-inspired games.
How FNAF influenced YouTube creators and led to the growth of channels like Game Theory.
The legacy of FNAF in fostering an environment where new intellectual properties can thrive.
MatPat's reflection on the personal and community impact of Game Theory's journey with FNAF.
The announcement of a special premiere for the final Game Theory episode on FNAF.
Transcripts
well loyal theorists this is it this
will be my final FNAF Theory and this
time I mean
[Music]
it the end is nearly at hand the pieces
are in place for you you missed it last
week look for the green and remember
everything I taught you remember dates
are important remember the hurry time is
running
[Music]
out hello Internet welcome to Game
Theory the show that by my count has had
no less than 10 final FNAF theories at
this point it's practically become its
own meme but this time it's no joke
after 66 theories three live talkbacks
and one bang and
remix exotic make that two bang and
remixes today I end my coverage of Five
Nights at Freddy's after this there's
only one final game theory and then the
curtain closes on my time as host and
Tom will have to step into the spotlight
hope you're ready for the challenge
there Tom Tom toy Bunny Easter Bunny
chocolate bunny melted chocolate bunny
wither bunny black hot bunny Rockstar
bunny glamrock bunny sunken toy bunny
Bon bun just BN System error bunny
nightmare bunny well done but how many
toes does he have two no three five
again ah the first step of FNAF theor
slowly losing your mind think he's going
to do just fine you know I did consider
making my final theory about FNAF but
actually have something really special
planned for that one so special in fact
that we're going to be doing a premiere
for it on this channel next Saturday
March 9th at 2:00 p.m. Eastern 11:00
a.m. Pacific we're going to have some
fun you guys will be able to chat with
me live as that video releases and who
knows there might even be some secrets
to find and most importantly of all I
get to say my final goodbye and thank
you to all of you for the last 13 years
so that's next week March 9th at 2:00
p.m. Eastern 11:00 a.m. Pacific make
sure you're subscribed so you're
notified when that one goes live
speaking of March 9th just a quick
reminder that that's also the final day
of sales for my you's once I retire as
host on the 9th of March it too will
retire and be gone forever so if you do
want this little piece of Game Theory
history or you know your own little
psychic friend fredbear head on over to
you.com or click the link in the
description to grab your mat Pat
figurine and FNAF pins before they're
nothing but a distant memory kind like
dream theory but enough housekeeping
it's time to talk about FNAF and let me
tell you I've spent a long time thinking
about this one how do you end a series
like this should I just do a normal
theory about some minute detail doesn't
really feel final you know plus I'd
probably end up calling someone a robot
and then a bunch of people would get mad
at me again should I redo the ultimate
FNAF timeline as one final here's the
lore well that would certainly be big
but it also doesn't feel like that much
was changed post ruin and help wanted to
from what we did at the end of last year
so I didn't really want to be redundant
either you can see the struggle that I
was facing right this episode it's a big
deal to me it is literally the end of my
legacy with FNAF and you see that's when
it hit me Legacy typically FNAF theories
are born out of the small details but
what if I took a step back and looked at
the big picture what if instead of
counting animatronic toes are dead kids
I took a meta approach and just looked
at the entire Legacy of FNAF I'm sure
we're all familiar with the butterfly
effect right the idea that a butterfly
flapping its wings could cause the
smallest of changes in the air which
could potentially lead to a tornado
forming well the term actually comes
from the research of meteorologist
Edward Loren who back in 1963 decided to
round some numbers in his data he
condensed one variable from
50627 to just 506 and yet that tiny
change right there completely threw off
his computer's weather models
transforming sunny skies into violent
storms hence the whole tornado thing
this realization that small changes in
data could yield such tremendously
different results ultimately threw off
science's entire understanding of nature
before Loren people thought that the
Universe could ultimately be predicted
CAC Newton back in 1687 famously
believed in the Clockwork Universe the
idea that the parts of the universe
worked like a machine and that
eventually if you understood how the
parts worked you could predict
practically anything French
mathematician Pierre Simone llas
actually said basically the same thing
eventually we would get to a place where
nothing would be uncertain and yet Loren
showed us that one small change one
minor mistake or estimate or imprecise
measurement in a complex system could
have a domino effect at a massive scale
resulting in changes that you would
never see coming for example in 1928
Alexander Fleming discovered that there
was mold in his petri dish but rather
than just throwing it away or cleaning
it up he decided to study it which then
led to the discovery of penicillin a
life-saving antibiotic that could be
used to treat menitis pneumonia ganara
syphilis blood poisoning and many others
or if you want another example you have
the explosion of hip-hop music largely
owing its Origins to a random lightning
strike in New York City in 1977 a bolt
of lightning put the city of New York
into a 25-hour blackout so what do you
do for all that time that you're stuck
in the dark you looten pillage baby New
Yorkers started to ransack storefronts
including music shops full of
instruments and supplies suddenly
expensive DJ equipment was was in the
hands of young aspiring musicians eager
to experiment with hip-hop which was a
new genre of music just hitting the
local scene and thus hip-hop was truly
able to thrive history is full of these
sorts of stories from the foundations of
medicine and music to even stuff as
Extreme as the origins of both World War
I and 2 why do I bring all this serious
stuff up in relation to Spooky Bear game
because FNAF is one of those rounded
variables one decision by Scott CN
reshaped gaming and YouTube and the
entire entertainment world as we know it
and that's not an exaggeration for a
fact one man's decision to not give up
to try again in the face of rejection
and adversity literally shifted billions
of dollars of the economy and affected
hundreds of millions of lives in ways
that are incalculable and that is what I
wanted to call attention to in my final
FNAF Theory FNAF shows us that by not
giving up one person can have a profound
effect on the course of history itself I
feel like the origin story of fnaf's
been talked about to death but just to
set the stage here despite hitting it
big with FNAF in 2014 its creator Scott
cin had been making games at that point
for 20 years years since 1994 and yet
even in those earliest days you can tell
that Scott had a fascination with creepy
robots working their designs into
projects like the Sci-Fi ifer moon and
the religious Pilgrims Progress even
this incredibly rudimentary RPG Legacy
of flan has a final boss that has what
looks to be the first appearance of what
would eventually evolve into the mangle
but despite producing a lot of games
none really ever caught the Public's eye
and then came chipper and Son's Lumber
Company where initial reviews what few
there were were rough and as The Story
Goes it was the reaction of James
Stephanie Sterling that would change the
course of CT's career forever thank God
for her it's just all over the place and
that thing looks like it's going to kill
your children I imagine the phrase kill
me is stated over and over again in the
world of chipper and Sons oh they're
robot beavers that's not good I think
he's the only living thing in this world
this repeated criticism plus the lack of
financial stability brought Scott down
to his lowest ready to quit games he
decided decided to try one final time
and lean into the thing that had been
leveled at him time and time again the
creepy robotic animations and thus Five
Nights at Freddy's was born and that
right there that's going to act as our
Nexus point the one flap of a butterfly
wing the decision to make a final game
instead of just giving up now let's see
how it all maps out from there let's
start with just the obvious Downstream
effects of this that one game over the
course of the last decade has spun off
into 12 which honestly I've never truly
sat down and processed but believe it or
not there are 12 of these things on how
you count them the entire franchise has
sold 9.9 million copies on Steam alone
which in total has an estimated revenue
of $94 million and that's not even
including the console and mobile ports
or the number of microtransactions for
FNAF AR which itself had over40 million
downloads it's also worth pointing out
that of the $94 million 55 million of
that was just from Steam sales of
security breach cuz that one was
actually at full price as opposed to all
the others which were either free or a
couple of bucks and while the first four
FNAF games were entirely a one-man job
the rest have included voice actors
composers entirely separate game studios
like steel wool and alumix even to this
day we're seeing this continuous Studios
like Mega cat who up until now have been
focused on releasing games on retro
consoles very niche market but that made
him perfect to create the Retro style
pixelated FNAF game into the pit
releasing later this year by pairing up
with these smaller companies that aren't
insanely wellknown Scott's not only been
able to make bigger better games he's
also been able to use his single game
success to put millions of eyeballs and
millions of dollars into each of these
companies as a result of their with FNAF
alumix started working with Disney on
features found throughout the parks and
if steel wool ever do release a game
outside of FNAF in the future you can
bet that it's going to have itself a fan
base attached to it because people now
know about them and they're going to
want to see what other work they can do
so that's on the game side or at least
it's on the official game side but
stopping there would be overlooking the
much bigger impact FNAF has had on the
games that haven't even been released
yet this one series inspired a whole new
generation of game designers unlike any
game that's ever really come before all
of them cutting their their teeth on a
genre that exploded in the mid-20s the
FNAF fan game five nights at Treasure
Island five nights at warrios Pop Goes
The Joy creation those nights at
Rachel's Aon build glitch attraction
bloody nights Junior's day shift at
Freddy's thank
thank what is this game I could go on
and on and on for days some of these
were just for the memes others were more
serious attempts at making Games
inspired by FNAF and many of them were
just taking the world that Scott had
created and broadening it outward into
the game that they wanted to see made if
you go into game jolt you'll find
thousands of fan games and I do mean
thousands if you search just for FNAF
and select games you're presented with
36 games per page and
277 Pages available that is
9,961 games that are tagged using FNAF
and if you're sitting there thinking
hold on the math there doesn't add up
you're right good noticing that's
because I had to remove 11 of Scott's
own games that were posted on that list
though I'm pretty sure that there are
some out there who'd like to pretend
that FNAF world was a fan game each and
every one of those 10,000 fan games
represents a budding game designer
sometimes several and well yeah many
many of those creators are likely never
going to pursue game design full-time
there are some who will either
independently or as part of a bigger
Studio going on to have their shot at
creating their own Mega franchise their
shot to transform the industry and
already you can see that some of these
devs are finding success to the point
where many of them have created multiple
different games at this point turning
their fan projects into full-on
franchises of their own and all of this
is without even mentioning the fanverse
initiative where Scott invested money
and resources into some of the most
promising projects to help those
fledgling business is grow now the
success of that one is up for debate for
various reasons but the point ultimately
stands Five Nights at Freddy's has been
directly and indirectly involved in the
rise of a new generation of game
developers developers that just now 10
years later were only starting to see
get to a point where they're really
influencing The Wider gaming landscape
except gaming it's already seen a
massive shift coming off the heels of
FNAF prior to fnaf's release if you took
a look at any top 10 list about horror
games it would have been filled with
games like Outlast PT amnesia games that
leaned hard into psychological horror
and sometimes graphic Gore FNAF though
was different while other horror games
used the classic horror Trope of not
knowing what the Monster looked like
relying on the audience's mind to fill
in the blanks of what might be lurking
in the shadows FNAF put the monsters
front and center allowing them to be the
star of the show like we see in movies
like Friday the 13th in Halloween this
allowed FNAF games to be much more
thumbnail friendly and easier to sell
online compared to the spooky dark
hallways or over complicated monster
designs that dominated the horror space
in the past mix in the more
familyfriendly scares of Freddy and the
Gang and you've got yourself a brand new
sub genre of content mascot horror as
dubbed by YouTuber John Wolf this genre
took old nostalgic locations and filled
them with brightly colored Killers
brought to life through some weird
experiment or trauma bending the ink
machine poppy playtime rainbow friends
my friendly neighborhood hello neighbor
Baldi Basics choo choo Charles am man of
the adventure and of course cart a band
ban and that's not even dipping into the
hundreds of lesser known titles like
joyville it was FNAF who paved the way
for all of these games poppy sold 2
million copies in 2 years bendy has made
over 30 million just off of its two
major installments hello neighbor is a
thing that continues to exist and while
people complain about oversaturation in
the Market at this point there is no
denying that the formula has worked
extremely well for the better part of
the last 10 years but maybe you're sick
of games you want to read a book well I
hope you're excited to read the seven
hello neighbor Books five bendy books
are the poppy playtime employee handbook
that's coming out later this year mascot
horror franchises now also line the
shelves of your local Barnes & Noble why
because FNAF did it first oh sure
Scholastic had done some video game book
publishing in the past mostly guide
books and activity books but after the
success of the FNAF Trilogy they began
to publish other video game books like
Assassin's Creed last descendants World
of Warcraft traveler this led them to
launch an entirely separate Wing to
their business AFK the video game
specific book Department it's these guys
who are publishing all the books that
Tom is now going to have to
read now it's impossible to know for
certain that FNAF was the reason for all
this but given it was often shown at the
top of articles for this new publishing
arm at launch and has sold 9 million
books to date with an average Book price
being about 10 bucks that is $90 million
infused into the historically struggling
print publishing business no wonder the