2024 marks the Five Nights at Freddy's series' 10th anniversary, and fans have long suspected that creator Scott Cawthon had multiple titles secretly under development to ring in the celebration. However, barely one month after Help Wanted 2's release, a brand-new title has been announced, which looks to adapt the very first short story in the Fazbear Frights novel series—Into the Pit. Despite being far removed from the events of developer Steel Wool Studios' modern narrative, Into the Pit brings a lot to the table, much of which fans believed to be scrapped during the development of Security Breach.

In adapting Fazbear's Frights, the newly announced Five Nights at Freddy’s game crosses an item off fans' wish lists and sets the stage for a fan-favorite's return. Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit is the first of 37 short stories in the Fazbear Frights series, which were originally believed to set the stage for the narrative of FNAF: Security Breach.

This led to general confusion throughout the series’ fandom, leading many to hunt for connections between Fazbear's Frights and each subsequent release. Four years after the Into the Pit novel’s release, Scott Cawthon is returning its narrative to the spotlight, leading many fans to wonder if the title will deliver the long-awaited truths behind the book’s parallel narrative.

Into the Pit Suggests Fazbear's Frights Reestablished Canonicity

The Five Nights at Freddy’s: Fazbear Frights novels were explicitly labeled as “non-canon” during their original release. That said, they were said to reveal parallel truths to the series' true canon, through the use of characters, locations, and events that mirrored their gaming counterparts, while utilizing the same animatronic characters.

Into the Pit was of particular significance, as it featured the Spring-Bonnie Costume and a time travel mechanic that saw the series’ central tragedy play out in real-time. In adapting Into the Pit, Scott Cawthon is returning these long-abandoned events to the spotlight and possibly hinting at their reestablished canonicity moving forward.

Into the Pit boasts heavy supernatural elements, following a boy named Oswald who visits an abandoned Pizzeria and jumps into its ball pit. Much to his surprise, he emerges in the same restaurant decades earlier, where he sees an unforgettable tragedy unfold. Upon returning to his time, Oswald is confronted by his father, who is then attacked by Spring Bonnie, who emerges from the ball pit and drags him inside.

Unfortunately, this is where the true nightmare begins for young Oswald, as the horrors he's witnessed follow him home. Into the Pit's game adaptation boasts a unique retro style, taking the series in a new direction visually, but fans shouldn't let their guard down. Into the Pit's narrative is darker, scarier, and far more disturbing than many of the titles the series has released this far, and, according to its announcement trailer, developer Mad Cat Studios is going all-in on bringing those elements to life.

FNAF’s 10th Anniversary Celebration May See a Villain's Triumphant Return

While Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit features a self-contained tale of supernatural horror, it forms the backbone of a malevolent plot from a long-thought-dead antagonist—Circus Baby. Baby, referred to as Eleanor in the Frights series, uses William Afton and entities throughout the 37 short stories to kill her victims and amass an immense amount of agony. She often accomplishes these tasks using a pendant that disguises her as something else. The souls of these victims are trapped within the ball pit from Into the Pit, where they are forced to exist in torment.

While many believed that Frights' true role was to usher in Circus Baby as the series' new villain, she did not canonically appear in Security Breach, Help Wanted, RUIN, or Help Wanted 2. Rather, recent developments suggest a connection. In Tales from the Pizzaplex, the latest FNAF novel series, Eleanor's pendant seemingly appeared, tying the character to the Pizzaplex era.

Additionally, 2023's game releases established links between Sister Location, FNAF 4, and the Pizzaplex, while retconning William Afton's appearance in Security Breach. With more potential game releases before Five Nights at Freddy’s 10th Anniversary in August 2024, fans anticipate more references to Fazbear's Frights' ball pit being added to the canon, with many eagerly awaiting Circus Baby's return soon after.

Five Nights at Freddy's

Five Nights at Freddy's is a first-person survival horror and resource management game from Scott Cawthorn that raced to popularity thanks to its creepy animatronic enemies and its array of panic-inducing jumpscares. Bringing life to a cavalcade of well-known characters like Freddy Fazbear, Chica, Foxy, Bonnie, and more, Five Nights at Freddy's has seen immense success, spinoffs, and fan games.