Last year, the man behind Five Nights At Freddy's was a cashier working under kids

Scott Cawthon, the creator of the Five Nights At Freddy's series, is a pretty quiet guy. He doesn't engage publicly often, and when he does, it's typically short and to the point - last week, when he released Five Nights At Freddy's 4, his justification was simply "the game is finished. :)" Not so this time. Today, Cawthon addressed his fans and haters alike with a lengthy post to the FNAF 4 Steam forums, talking about his humble beginnings, his hopes for the future, and a possible hint at upcoming retirement from the industry.

"Did you know that last year I was working at Dollar General?" Cawthon writes. "I worked as a cashier. I had three bosses who were all still in high school. Before that I worked at Target in the backroom freezer, unloading frozen foods. I haven’t had a successful life; and now that God has blessed me with some success, I’m doing my best to be responsible with that success." Cawthon said he plays games with his children, and tries to do good in his life.

Naturally, a figure so suddenly thrust into the spotlight (or at least, someone whose works are) is bound to have a few people angry with him. Cawthon has some words of wisdom for them too: "I want you to know that focusing on someone else’s failure or success is the wrong way to live. People who make videos bashing other people are like people who run into a public square and scream into a pillow. They’ll get attention, but they won’t change anything. If you strive to be like them, then you’ll spend your life screaming into a pillow as well, and your life won’t mean anything."

Cawthon concludes by saying that he's "getting too old for this," and implores his fans to chase their dreams. "You are tomorrow's next big thing," he says, closing with yet another smiley face. Surprisingly insightful and inspiring words from a guy who made four games about killer animatronics, no?

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Sam Prell

Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.