One of those selected was Kane Carter, the director of the POPGOES series. Five prominent creators were selected for the first round of the project, with Cawthon expressing his hope to expand the initiative in the future. In an announcement on Reddit, Cawthon explained that he would be financing some of these games directly, while “stay OUT of the development side of things so that these creators can do their thing.” The initiative would also allow creators to sell their fan games and to have them ported to consoles. In 2020, he announced the Fazbear Fanverse Initiative, which would fund and publish selected fan games.
It was mutually beneficial, as it showcased these fan creations to a broader audience and cemented their position in the community.įan games became such an integral part of the FNAF experience that Cawthon himself legitimized a number of them. After YouTubers played the official games, many turned to fan games to continue delivering the same entertainment.
The official entries in the horror series made for an excellent spectator experience, and it became a staple among Let’s Play broadcasters, whose reactions to the animatronics - and especially the jump-scares - made for a fantastic spectator sport. I’m one person, and I’m just figuring stuff out, and I can do that.”įNAF fan games also grew in popularity thanks to YouTubers and streamers. “Just being like, this is something that one person can do. “I think that was something really inspiring for the fan game creators,” Asmund said. The Bitsy game was released in 2018, and Asmund said it is still played almost every day. FNAF has a “wild level of accessibility” for fan developers, said Seven Dane Asmund, who created the fan game Clearing Your Name. That’s nothing compared to the number of fan games.