- Five Nights at Freddy's Scott Cawthon is retiring amid uproar over his donations to GOP lawmakers.
- Last week, fans called out his donations to former president Donald Trump and other Republicans.
- At the time, Cawthon said he's a Republican, adding "If I get cancelled, then I get cancelled."
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Five Nights at Freddy's creator Scott Cawthon is retiring after facing backlash for donating to Republican politicians, including former president Donald Trump.
"I've had a blessed, fulfilling and rich career," the game developer said Thursday on his website. "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."
Cawthon said he will use retirement to spend more time with his six kids.
"As I realize that I was in my mid-30s when I created the series and now I'm approaching my mid-40s, I realize that I miss a lot of things that I got to focus on before FNAF became such a success. I miss making games for my kids, I miss doing it just for fun, and I missing making rpgs [role-playing games] even though I stink at it."
Cawthon added that his departure won't spell the end of the popular survival horror video game series; he'll choose someone to take over Five Nights at Freddy's and announce his successor later.
The controversy erupted last week, when it surfaced that Cawthon had a history of donating to Republican lawmakers, including Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, according to OpenSecrets. His political donations sparked outrage, particularly among LGBTQ fans of the game, who make up a sizable part of its fanbase.
In the following days, Cawthon defended his support of several candidates to whom he had donated, including Maryland congressional candidate Kimberly Klacik, a Black Republican, Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, and Trump. "I supported President Trump, because I felt he was the best man to fuel a strong economy and stand up to America's enemies abroad, of which there are many," he said on Reddit at the time.
"I exercised my right, and my duty, as an American citizen, to vote for and support the candidates who I felt could best run the country, for everyone, and that's something that I won't apologize for," Cawthon added. "Even if there were candidates who had better things to say to the LGBT community directly, and bigger promises to make, I believed that their stances on other issues would have ended up doing much greater harm to those communities than good."
Cawthon also said in his initial response that he is a Republican, Christian, and pro-life supporter and hinted he might retire over the uproar.
"I have always loved, and will continue to love, this community and this fanbase, even if someday it doesn't include me anymore," he continued. "If I get cancelled, then I get cancelled. I don't do this for the money anymore; I do it because I enjoy it. If people think I'm doing more harm than good now, then maybe it's better that I get cancelled and retire. I would accept that. I've had a fulfilling career."