Scott Cawthon pulls FNAF World from Steam, apologizes for prematurely released game

Less than a week ago, Scott Cawthon surprised everyone by releasing FNAF World early. The next day, he apologized for the game being rushed, and that he had released the game without many important RPG features. Now, Cawthon faces the public once more to tell players that the game has officially been taken off the Steam service.

On the official FNAF 4 news board, Scott posted the following update:

“Hi everyone, I wanted to make a post about the fate of FNaF World. Even though the game had a “Very Positive” rating with 87%, I was not satisfied with the reviews and ratings it was getting.

For that reason, I’ve decided to remove the game from Steam. I’ve also asked Valve to make it so that the game can be refunded regardless of the amount of the time it has been owned, meaning that anyone can get a refund at any time. It may take them a while to set that up, but it will be in place soon.

I’m still going to work on FNaF World and polish it up. I’m busy creating a fully 3D overworld for the game. When I’m ready to update the game, I will replace the demo currently on GameJolt with the full game. From this point forward, the game will always be free.

I appreciate your support, and I encourage you all to refund your Steam game (even if you enjoyed the game), and download the new version when it becomes available on GameJolt.”

– Scott Cawthon via Steam

A game developer with some integrity? That’s a new one. That’s right folks, Scott Cawthon removed the game because he felt as though the game was released prematurely. Not only that, but Cawthon has actually gone out of the way to set up a system with Valve that will allow players to get a full refund, regardless of their play time – and that’s before mentioning that the game will now be re-released for free on GameJolt once completed. It almost sounds like something out of a fairy tale, but here it is in black and white.

But was it necessary?

Maybe, maybe not. While not everyone believes the game’s removal was necessary, I for one believe it was to an extent. The gameplay footage I have seen on Twitch and various other video services was cringeworthy at times. The lack of on-screen information made the original Pokemon Red and Blue release look like the most informative RPG in history. I think Scott made the right move, seeing as attack information, and a sense of understanding what it is you are doing is crucial to any successful RPG.

As Scott stated, the game did not receive particularly poor reviews. However, he has admitted that the game itself is not his best work. While I am not a personal fan of the Five Nights at Freddy’s series, I will admit that I am impressed by Cawthon’s decision to work harder to improve the game as it shows character. It is an act of integrity that very few people would commit to.

Very rarely does a developer – no matter how big or small the company is – admit to their mistakes in releasing a game, and then offer refunds for the game. The last time this happened with a major video game publisher was the PC release of Arkham Knight, where unanimously negative reviews resulted in the game being pulled from Steam – and this was likely to avoid potential lawsuits against a widely popular title.

What do you guys think about FNAF World being pulled off Steam? Did you get a chance to play it before it was removed? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!