Why a FNaF Chapter Wouldn't Be a Bad Idea
INTRODUCTION
I've seen many threads popping up about a Five Nights at Freddy's chapter recently (for whatever reason), and it is without a doubt a mixed and controversial topic. However, I believe that the vast majority of criticisms that the series seems to get are either invalid, negligible, unclear, or downright ridiculous. So after making several long responses to other people's posts, I've decided that it would better for me to just make one, giant thread containing this stuff. Before I start however, it is only fair that the readers know my bias towards the series before I actually state anything.
I remember my first time playing Five Nights at Freddy's was when I was in fifth grade, over five years ago. Since then, I've stuck with the series, despite never really playing the games. To be completely honest, the gameplay does get stale quickly, and I think that's why many people completely diss the idea of a Five Nights at Freddy's chapter in DbD. However, if it wasn't for those games, I probably wouldn't enjoy horror at all, and I certainly wouldn't be playing or ever have played DbD.
That being said, I will essentially always defend the idea of a FNaF chapter, regardless of how many people do/don't want it. It's no secret that the DbD community has VERY mixed opinions over a FNaF chapter, and that's perfectly okay. This post will be broken down into 2 parts: Investigating common criticisms and potential benefits from a FNaF chapter.
NOTE: A lot of this has been taken from older posts. If something here doesn't make sense out of context, just let me know.
Investigating common criticisms
The chapter wouldn't fit
DbD fans and FNaF fans unanimously agree that Freddy shouldn't be in the game, but that's just who people assume when you talk about a FNaF chapter. If you ask just about anyone, they'll say that Springtrap/William Afton would be the best fit.
For those who don't know, William Afton was an employee at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza that murdered dozens of children to use their "remnant" (soul-like bits) to save his dead son. He stuffed their corpses inside of the animatronic suits, but later dissembled the suits, freeing the children’s spirits. The spirits cornered him, causing him to quickly get inside an animatronic suit. The springlock devices in the suit activated, puncturing his insides and killing him. His soul still possessed the suit however. Later on, Afton arrived at another Fazbear entertainment facility, which was a trap built by his former coworker, Henry. The place was set ablaze, destroying the suits of all the animatronics and freeing his soul. He was sent to purgatory and then banished to hell forever.
Now THAT'S a killer! Springtrap's grimy aesthetic totally fits the game perfectly.
Render by u/freddy_fazsack
I honestly don't see how that fits the game any less than the clown, or demogorgon. I think he would fit the atmosphere just as great as anyone else.
No Ideal Map/ Location
I'll admit that there isn't one location that promptly stands out from the others. Many people suggest either the FNaF 1 location or the FNaF 3 location. It's not because the maps are not important. It's because they're BOTH important. The first location is arguably the most well-known, and Springtrap's origins began and how he got his killer instinct. The FNaF 3 location is where we see Springtrap the most in his truest form.
I had a reddit post where I detailed what I envisioned the map to be, so I will shamelessly copy and paste that here:
"I had my own idea for the map. It was the original Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, that would be extremely withered (Big chunks of the concrete wall missing, torn wall paper, chairs and tables flipped and scattered around, you get the idea). The animatronics would still be on stage, but withered down and broken.
Outside the location would be playable as well, with foliage and trees surrounding the building, and houses along the map's perimeter.
There would always be a generator in the backroom of the building (like the bathroom gen on "The Game"). Every time that generator is completed, flood lights would turn on and start waving at the buildings entrance. Furthermore, the power in the building would turn on, lighting up the dining area and stage lights, with an animatronic performance from the original 3 (although it would be very jittery due to their condition)."
No well-known survivor
I would personally say no survivor would be the best option. However, a lot of people suggest a nightguard or a book character. I wouldn't say those are bad options, but I feel like the chapter would be best in paragraph form (with the exception of a map). I think the first nightguard would be the best fit, but many people are miles more creative than I am, and come up with creative concepts for other potential survivors. In the end however, I feel like that would be the most difficult part of a FNaF chapter, should there even be a survivor.
Complicated story and confusing lore
I'm going to be completely honest: FNaF lore has never been entirely clear, but the community knows MORE than enough to make an accurate FNaF chapter. We know for a fact that Springtrap's soul was released at the end of FNaF 6, and we also know that he was sent to purgatory before being banished to hell. So while some of the lore specifics in recent games (such as FNaF: VR) are unknown, it would be negligible when considering a FNaF chapter. Most of the essential questions (and more) are already answerable.
The two games have drastically different characters, gameplay, artstyles, etc..
This is one that I do agree with to an extent, but I don't think it should matter considering that hasn't stopped people from wanting characters in the past. The games do have very different themes, ideas, atmospheres, but these characteristics aren't like night and day, and they do share some similarities. Instead of pushing FNaF away due to it's uniqueness, FNaF's new atmosphere and ideas could contribute SO MUCH to its chapter. Where else are you going to find another chapter that provides a robot killer? Or underlying theme of playfulness that was morphed into darkness and terror? You could argue that you could make an original chapter with these qualities, but at that point, it'd very apparent it was based off FNaF, and it would just feel... awkward.
The two games also have characters that are significantly different from each other, but again, that's GOOD thing! YOU WANT ORIGINALITY! When demogorgon was introduced to DbD, it had a lasting impact. It was the first non-human character that opened the door for god knows what in the future! It wouldn't "just another DLC" and that's something that would make it 8x better.
The artstyles of the games don't seem to matter too much to people when requesting characters. Look at Clementine from Telltale's The Walking Dead game for an example. She was at one point the most requested character, and her art style is WAY different than DbD's. There may be other examples, but this was the only one I know.
Why should it matter in this instance, even though FNaF and DbD aren't even too different graphically.
As for stories, that's a GOOD THING! You want original characters, with original backgrounds, with original mechanics! It adds a lot more variety to DbD other than the typical killer or surivor story.
As for gameplay, three words: Left. For. Dead. Bill is a perfect example of why gameplay doesn't matter when it comes to videogame licenses in DbD. DbD is a survival horror game and L4D is a zombie shooter, so I'm pretty sure that a sit-and-survive horror game wouldn’t be ruled out due to its gameplay.
Lack of community interest:
For a while, this was the case. Most FNaF fans that play DbD tend to keep their mouth shut about a FNaF chapter, knowing that should they say something, a wave of backlash is right around the corner. However it seems like most DbD fans would accept a well-done FNaF chapter. The upvotes speak for themselves:
R/DEADBYDAYLIGHT - FINALIZED SPRINGTRAP 'THE ATTRACTION' (CONCEPT KIT)
1,472 votes and 258 comments so far on Reddit
and the FNaF community is on board with the idea as well:
R/FIVENIGHTSATFREDDYS - SPRINGTRAP IN DEAD BY DAYLIGHT (FAN TEASER)
620 votes and 80 comments so far on Reddit
Licensed Chapters are more limited
Scott Cawthon does not give a lemon-sucking damn what you do with his characters. He lets people use them without asking, and will allow just about anything. There was only one instance where Scott active took action, and it was only when someone named their fan-game "Five Nights at Freddy's 3". All he did was make them change the name. FNaF is not like any other license. It is an indie game, meaning that any decisions regarding his character only goes through him, and he is okay with just about anything.
The Community is Toxic
This is something that always bugs me when it's brought up. A lot of Dead by Daylight fans completely trash FNaF's supposedly toxic audience, but in doing so, it just antagonizes themselves. I understand if you just don't like the kind of people FNaF attracts, but when people say things like "They just cringey toxic children!" and then proceed to be toxic within this community, that's just downright unacceptable. And if FNaF's community is actually all children like many people here claim it is, it's a damn shame that they can sometimes behave better than half the people here.
I shouldn't have even included that last part, as its 100% subjective, but it's something that does need to be said.
So there's my defense. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns. Feel free to let me know. I'm always happy to have a civil debate, or just a discussion.
Potential benefits of a FNaF chapter.
A New Horror Icon
Whether you like it or not, FNaF was at one point one of the most popular games of its time, and it still shows today. For example, FNaF: VR (May 2019) earned many sales records shortly after its release. FNaF still has its following today, with its subreddit having ~95K members (for comparison, DbD has ~193K). These aren't small numbers, and just goes to show that FNaF isn't dead. Were the games perfect by any means? Heck no, but as much as you personally may not like them, they still have a strong community. It's legacy still lives on today, and will continue to for quite some time.
A Brand New Killer Aesthetic and Completely Original Backstory
Assuming that Springtrap were to be added, he would easily be one of, if not, the most original killer the game has seen thus far. I could explain how, but I've dabbled in this previously.
To summarize though, he is robotic child murderer that took the lives of dozens of children in order to save his son that died. His power is not limited by game play mechanics, and could take many elements of his backstory and lore to assist in developing his power. His power has tons of things it could pull from.
He would be a smarter, more-cunning killer, who if used effectively, would be a devastating force to reckoned with. Additionally, his animations could be a lot more jittery due to his withered and destroyed appearance, further adding to his originality.
Significant Community Growth
As previously mentioned, FNaF has quite a large following, and their community contains of tons of unique people. Introducing the FNaF community to the DbD community could be beneficial for both sides. Many people from the DbD community would probably like a deeper look at FNaF to see where Springtrap originated from, and people from the FNaF community would no doubt want to see a new DbD character of someone they've followed for ages. It would provide great exposure to both FNaF and DbD.
While I've heard the argument that introducing a younger audience to DbD might have negative effects, but I highly doubt that many "children" would jump ship here. DbD is typically seen as an adult horror game, and FNaF is more aimed at teen horror. Most of the newcomers would likely come from the older side of the FNaF community, which makes up the overall majority of it.
The Stranger Things chapter exemplified this the best. Most of the people who enjoyed DbD's horror stayed, while the rest seemed to simply fade away.
This isn't something that I fear personally, but I know that it is a concern for some, so I still think it would be worth mentioning.
Both Parties Benefit Tremendously
FNaF is a very highly valued IP, and there's no doubt about it. Many FNaF fans would buy DbD strictly for the FNaF chapter alone, and FNaF would also get some more sales, especially since most of the more recent games (made by Scott) are free, and the older ones don't ever get more expensive than 8 or 9 dollars. Additionally, both parties would also benefit through the sale of the DLC itself. All of this goes to show how a FNaF chapter would be a phenomenal investment for both Scott Cawthon (the creator of FNaF) and BHVR.
Conclusion:
Welp, here is my entire argument. Feel free to comment and I'll be sure to respond!
Comments
I mean I could somewhat see slender but with the existence of legion in the game making Jeff unique would be somewhat hard
No.
Please don't take those ideas seriously. Those were 100% meant as meme suggestions.
Honestly, I think a fnaf chapter would be nice.
These FNAF threads keep coming back around & it’s always from a new account with 1 post. Are you making new ones just to keep it alive? Lol
Dude what? I made this account a long time ago when this place was still kinda new. The new anniversary event came and I was curious if people had the same idea of making the crown a cosmetic that can be put not just on default survivor heads. Found this post and decided to comment. Didn't realize I'd be call out for being some new account. You good my dude? XD
@doggy9978 (for some reason deleted the quote oops)
I’m not attacking you. I just keep seeing new accounts bringing back old FNAF threads in an attempt to attract more people to it lol. So I just thought I’d ask. Sorry if I offended you lol
Don't worry about man ;) I just thought the idea would be nice.
As for the Spike of fnaf interest, it could be related to a few fnaf dbd related videos that have recently popped up. Like chase music and even theories of like moris and killer abilities. One of those videos(that was made like 3 days ago from a not popular YouTuber at the time) had like a petition link that had like over 3,000 people sign for fnaf to be in dbd. I could see people from these vids coming here. Making a new account just to express their agreement here.
I'm glad someone is duscussing it. It would be cool to see FNAF in DBD, and I'd love to see what the devs would do with it.
Edit: i feel like having legion as robbie rabbit helps prove it could potentially work
People saying it wouldn't fir because the game revolves around jumpscare just put a big question mark into my face.
We have the main games, a vr game, an ar game, a novel trilogy, a book series with little stories and an upcoming movie.
The games revolve around jumpscares, yes... but I literally see no reason why that is a reason it shouldn't be in DbD? Springtrap in wouldn't just loose all his 'creepiness' just by not having jumpscares.
The VR game is more about atmosphere than about jumpscares, the novel series has a different story and then we have the book series with the collection of little stories which also don't contain jumpscares.
'Springtrap wouldn't fit'
Why wouldn't he fit? He is a serial killer/murderer, he was human and works just fine atmosphere-wise. Hell, he could fit even more if they adjusted him to the style of DbD. I also saw someone earlier mention Springtrap would attack with a phone... where did that come from...?
It's not like he could just attack without a weapon... oh wait.. he can, just like Demogorgon or Hag.
The Novel series opens even more doors, they'd have more creativity on Springtrap design, the novels have multiple characters that could become survivors to choose from. And has possible locations for maps.
It just overall feels like people don't even think on their own and just go with the mass and say no. And honestly, the community isn't the problem, it's just a lame excuse not to do research on that topic.
If for some odd reason they added Springtrap, I'm sorry, but he would not be the most original killer, or even original. He'd be a character made by some one else, brought to DbD. An original killer is just that, a killer BHVR made for their game. Trapper, Hillbilly, Spirit, Oni, Wraith, Doctor, Nurse, Blight, Plague, Hag, Legion etc etc, THESE are original killers.
Nothing any one who isn't a part of BHVR has made is an original killer in DbD. He wouldn't even be the most unique.
"I rememer when I was in 5th grade. Over 5 years ago" made me chuckle
I'm not opposed to a FNaF chapter
I ain't reading all that.
I'm happy for you tho.
Or sorry that happened to you.
To be fair, 5th grade was more than 5 years ago for me too. (Its also been more than 15)
Also I don't care at all about a FNaF chapter.
A for effort.