Unraveling the Enigmatic Five Nights at Freddy's Lore: An Epic Timeline - Part 1

The Five Nights at Freddy's series has become one of the most explosive and influential pop-culture phenomena in modern gaming. With over 10 games and three full series of lore-building novels released over the past decade, it has captivated fans worldwide. Despite appearing as superficial jump scare simulators for children to those unfamiliar with the fandom, a closer examination reveals that the series boasts one of the most extensive and darkest lore in horror gaming history.

Taking inspiration from narrative point-and-click games from the 90s, the Five Nights at Freddy's lore is primarily revealed through environmental storytelling. The recent release of Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach RUIN has reshaped this lore by cementing certain characters and events as canonical. Those who wish to fully experience the story should be aware that the chronology of the Five Nights at Freddy's series is far from straightforward. Various characters, collectibles, and lines of dialogue scattered throughout the series have prompted fans to speculate about its timeline. With the introduction of RUIN, the timeline has undergone a shift but also provides more evidence to piece together the actual chronology of the FNAF universe.

FNAF's Earliest Events

Fredbear's Singin' Show, believed to have been established in the 1930s or 1940s, served as an inspiration for William Afton's future career in show business. This unique show, featuring a live bear entertaining restaurant patrons, eventually led to the creation of Afton's own restaurant, named Fredbear's. At Fredbear's, customers could enjoy a family meal while watching the animatronic bear, Fredbear, and Afton's original character, Bonnie, perform on stage.

However, a rival emerged in the form of Chica's Party World, created by Henry Emily. In Henry's establishment, all the characters were animatronics, including a yellow chicken named Chica and her band, known as the Mediocre Melodies. Emily's brilliant creations soon stole the spotlight from Afton's work, and ultimately, in the 1980s, the two companies merged. This partnership led to the establishment of Fredbear's Family Diner, the first true iteration of Freddy's. This storyline is said to draw parallels to the real-life events involving Chuck E. Cheese and ShowBiz Pizza.

Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza

In 1983, the popularity of Fredbear’s Family Diner leads to the opening of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a restaurant where animatronics can roam freely. During this time, Emily and Afton create springlock suits, enabling employees to wear the animatronics as suits by compressing their mechanisms with springs. Unfortunately, these suits prove to be highly dangerous as the springs holding the locks can disengage, resulting in harm to the wearer. Recognizing the potential of these innovative technologies, William sets up cameras in his house to monitor his children, including his youngest son who is terrified of the Fredbear animatronic. On the youngest Afton's birthday, Michael, Afton’s older son, pulls a prank and places his brother's head inside Fredbear’s mouth. To everyone’s horror, the animatronic clamps down its jaw, fatally injuring the young boy.

Five Nights at Freddy's 4

In Five Night at Freddy's 4, the earliest occurrences ever witnessed in FNAF’s video game series are portrayed. Assuming the role of a child within the premises of their own bedroom, the player experiences a harrowing ordeal over the span of five nights. The child becomes tormented by nightmarish and horrifying embodiments of the FNAF animatronics, such as Chica, Bonnie, Freddy, and Foxy. However, as the additional nights unfold, a nightmarish version of the Fredbear animatronic also emerges.

Tales of the Pizzaplex: The Mimic

While the final installment of the Tales of the Pizzaplex book series is yet to be released, it can be argued that the short story The Mimic is set in the year 1984. The FNAF book series often presents the franchise's lore through alternate stories with altered names and settings. However, the Mimic narrative has intertwined with the video game series' canon, thus requiring its inclusion in the overall timeline of the lore.

The Mimic, an animatronic designed by Fazbear Engineer Edwin Murray, was a creation consisting of a head, torso, and arms. Believed by many fans to be connected to Henry Emily, the Mimic aimed to emulate best practices by observing behavior and then mimicking it. Edwin developed this technology as a means to efficiently program Fazbear Entertainment's animatronics, characters, and systems.

The initial subject that the animatronic mimicked was Edwin's own son, David. However, tragedy struck when David passed away, leading to a turning point where Edwin grew resentful of his creation. The Mimic continued to impersonate David even after death, serving as a constant reminder of Edwin's failure. In a fit of anger, Edwin's violent outburst caused the Mimic's core program, mimic1, to learn violence, resulting in the creation of the significant virtual entity known as the mimic1 virus, which plays a crucial role in FNAF's latest storyline. Edwin disappeared, prompting Fazbear employees to retrieve his work.

During their investigation, the employees discovered another team had been present and attempted to "fix" the Mimic by adding legs to its design. This modification allowed the Mimic to mimic people's voices and lure unsuspecting employees to their deaths. The animatronic concealed itself within various experimental mascot suits found within the Fazbear locations. Eventually, Fazbear Entertainment seemingly managed to recover the Mimic and utilized it years later in the development of new animatronics.

Five Nights at Freddy's 2

In Five Nights at Freddy's 2, players are in the role of Jeremy Fitzgerald, the Night Security Guard at a new Freddy Fazbear's Pizza location in 1987. As Jeremy, the objective is to survive the roaming animatronics by wearing a Freddy mask when they enter the security office. Alongside the returning animatronics Freddy, Chica, Bonnie, and Foxy, three new animatronics are introduced: the Mangle, Balloon Boy, and the Puppet. Additionally, Phone Guy makes his first canonical appearance, contacting Jeremy each night to provide important information about the previous day's events and the history of the location.

Phone Guy reveals that this specific Freddy Fazbear's Pizza location is soon to be investigated by the police. On the fifth night, he informs the player that the location is on lockdown due to an unspecified event during the day shift, preventing anyone from entering or leaving the restaurant, including former employees. The game's minigames reveal that the site of the restaurant has been the scene of multiple murders involving young children. The perpetrator, known as the Purple Man, is shown wearing a yellow rabbit suit according to Phone Guy's call on the sixth night. The Puppet, possessed by Charlotte, Henry Emily's daughter, places the souls of the victims into the animatronics from the previous game, giving them life once more.

Five Nights at Freddy's: Sister Location

The position of Sister Location in the Five Nights at Freddy's timeline is a topic of debate, but many believe it takes place around the same time as the original game. The unreliable AI assistant, HandUnit, mentions the success and closure of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, suggesting the introduction of a new competitor in children's entertainment. This reference is potentially connected to the Bite of '87 mentioned in FNAF 2. In Sister Location, the story begins with William Afton, the creator, receiving inquiries about peculiar design choices in his animatronics. Players assume the role of Michael Afton, the brother of the victim in FNAF 4, who becomes an overnight employee at Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental. The company rents out animatronics for parties and events. The game features animatronics from the now-defunct Circus Baby's Pizza World, such as Circus Baby, Funtime Foxy, Funtime Freddy, and Ballora the Ballerina. Michael's task is to inspect each animatronic over five nights, addressing any issues or malfunctions that arise.

Five Nights at Freddy's

The introduction of Sister Location marked a significant milestone for the FNAF series, as it introduced the concept of player movement within the game. In this installment, players take on the role of Michael, who explores a facility and performs necessary maintenance tasks. However, as the game progresses, it evolves into a captivating narrative experience. Michael forms an alliance with Circus Baby, an animatronic, in order to evade the other animatronics and free himself from a springlock suit.

As the story reaches its climactic night, Circus Baby guides Michael to remove a chip containing "what is good" from her arm, instructing him to destroy her empty body. This act is meant to ensure that only the malevolent elements are eradicated. Much to Michael's dismay, however, he is deceived and led into the Scooping Room. It is here that the true nature of the voice guiding him, known as Ennard, is revealed. Ennard is a malicious amalgamation that proceeds to extract Michael's internal organs before inhabiting his body and escaping from the location.

Sometime later, Ennard is forcefully expelled from Michael's body, yet Michael miraculously manages to revive. Sister Location's core minigame uncovers the startling revelation that Circus Baby was responsible for the death of William Afton's daughter, Elizabeth, who now resides within the possessed animatronic.

Five Nights at Freddy's

In the game Five Nights at Freddy's, players take on the role of Night Guard Mike Schmidt, who is later revealed to be Michael Afton making a return. Throughout five nights, Mike receives guidance from a familiar character known as "Phone Guy," who provides a rundown of the restaurant's troubled history. Following the Bite of '87 and the incident in FNAF 2 during the daytime, the animatronics at this location – Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy – are now prohibited from roaming the restaurant during daytime hours. As a result, they are only allowed to explore the premises at night to prevent their motors from seizing up.

Newspaper clippings in the hallway of the Five Nights at Freddy's restaurant reveal a horrifying incident where a man lured five innocent children to the back of the establishment and committed unspeakable acts of violence against them. Tragically, the bodies of these young victims were never discovered, leaving their families and the community devastated. Disturbingly, as time went on, reports started pouring in regarding an eerie stench emanating from the animatronics, suggesting a sinister connection. On the fourth night, a chilling message alludes to the demise of a character known as "Phone Guy," seemingly being attacked by one of the malevolent animatronics. The situation further escalates as the unlockable Seventh Night reveals that Schmidt, the protagonist, finds himself terminated due to his interference with the animatronics, which coincides with the foul odor that had plagued the establishment.

Five Nights at Freddy's 3

Set thirty years after the events of Five Nights at Freddy's, FNAF 3 places players in the shoes of an unnamed Security Guard at Fazbear's Frights Haunted Attraction. This attraction aims to exploit the urban legends that have sprung up around Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, and there are speculations that the main character could be either Michael Afton or Henry Emily. Throughout five nights, the guard must defend against the sole adversary, Springtrap, who emerges from a secret chamber within Fazbear's Frights. Once again, the player receives guidance through a series of voicemail messages revealing that the Fazbear's Fright staff has stumbled upon a weathered animatronic resembling a rabbit, as well as tapes from the original Phone Guy.

Phone Guy's Tapes provide instructions for employees on how to operate springlock suits. These suits serve a dual purpose, functioning as both animatronics and costumes for the staff. The tapes also disclose the existence of a hidden back room that should never be shown to customers. Further revelations occur through various minigames, revealing that William Afton's body is inside Springtrap, the result of him triggering the springlocks in the back room. This malfunction happened during a confrontation between Afton and the souls of his victims, who were placed by the Puppet in the original animatronics from Five Nights at Freddy's 2.

Springtrap remains trapped in the room for 30 years until being released by employees at Fazbear Fright. In the game's finale, the protagonist attempts to destroy Afton by setting fire to the attraction, but ultimately fails. The events of FNAF 3 were initially intended to be the concluding chapter of the Five Nights at Freddy's series. However, this title turned out to be the start of a new era, introducing a recurring location that appears in subsequent FNAF titles, including the recently released Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach RUIN.

Five Nights at Freddy's Lore: A Comprehensive Timeline - Part 2 is coming soon.