Scott Braden Cawthon (born June 4, 1978) is an American former video game developer and writer. He came to prominence as the creator of the Five Nights at Freddy's media franchise, which began with the development of the eponymous survival horror game in 2014. Released independently, the game achieved popularity and obtained a cult following. Cawthon developed nine games in the main series from 2014 until his retirement in 2021, in addition to three spin-offs. He also wrote several books based on Five Nights at Freddy's, like the novel trilogy 'The Silver Eyes', 'Fazbear Frights' series and 'Tales From The Pizzaplex' series. He's also acredited as writer in the Five Nights at Freddy's Film.