Fight Nights at Freddy’s developer Scott Cawthon has penned a heartfelt response to the game’s community, thanking players for their support while also reprimanding his haters.

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“First of all, I wanted to thank the community in general for the huge outpouring of support through emails and in the forums,” writes Cawthon. “I know a lot of you are concerned about me or think that I’m stressed out.“It’s true that I’m stressed a little; but it’s ok because the result was good. I’ve worked very hard this year, almost non-stop, to produce good games for this series. Even though there may be some debate as to how ‘good’ the games are, I did my best to provide some good scares and a good story. All I can do is judge from the Steam reviews that I’ve been mostly successful; so I’m very happy about that.”Cawthon goes on to discuss the influx of hate surrounding the latest entry into the horror series, some of which comes via the game’s forums and YouTube.“[…] I’ll be honest, it’s difficult. It’s difficult when people seem to dislike you only because you’ve found success with something. I think some people have this idea that I spend my days swimming in gold coins like Scrooge McDuck, cranking out games with no effort, then laughing all the way to the bank. The reality is quite different, and I think that people who hate on me for being successful are misguided.”According to Cawthon, this time last year he was working at a Dollar General as a cashier under the watchful eye of three bosses who were still at school. Before that, Target – in the backroom freezer.“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,” continues the developer. “I don’t party on weekends, I don’t get drunk or sip martinis. I spend my evenings playing Megaman 3, buster only, with my kids. And I try to do good with what's been given to me.“I guess the reason I’m telling you all of this is to make sure you know that I’m human. I have a lot of flaws, and I’ve made a lot of mistakes.”The Five Nights games aren’t perfect, nor will they ever be, admits Cawthon. Thus is the crux of video games: the impossible chase towards an unreachable echelon of perfection.“But something more important that I want to convey to all of you, is that you should never listen to people who criticize success simply because it’s success.“Being good at something is something to strive for, not something to demonize. Criticisms of my games are fine, and a lot of times the criticism is valid. But there are a lot of people out there who will hate anything that becomes popular, just because it’s popular, and hate anyone who becomes successful, just because they are successful.“[…] 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.“I’m getting too old for this. And when I retire someday, I’m going to want to sit down at a computer and play YOUR games, read YOUR stories, and watch YOUR videos. Don’t fall in with the people who have already given up on themselves. You are tomorrow’s next big thing. :)”You can read the full open-letter over on the Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 For all the latest Five Nights news, including who’s directing the movie , keep it locked to IGN.

Wesley Copeland is a freelance news writer, and is really enjoying FNaF4. For more obvious statements and gifs, you should probably follow him on Twitter