Why FNAF Security Breach Isn’t Getting A Midnight Release After All

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach won’t be receiving the midnight release fans thought it would. The upcoming sequel to the Five Nights At Freddy’s franchise is set to release for PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on December 16, but many fans of the franchise, excited for the new direction of the beloved series, had hoped to preload the game and have it running at midnight, gearing up for an exciting night of horror. Sadly, it looks like they’ll have to wait just a (very little) bit longer.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach is the latest installment of the animatronic horror series set in an arcade pizza environment. With the help of the titular Freddy Fazbear himself, protagonist Gregory must survive being hunted by Five Nights at Freddy’s characters redesigned for the new setting. The prettier environments of Security Breach are nightmare fuel, with Glamrock Chica, Roxanne Wolf, Montgomery Gator, and the Pizzaplex’s security guard, Vanessa, relentlessly pursuing Gregory until he is removed from the premises, probably in multiple pieces. It’s an exciting premise with new mechanics that led to a previous delay as developer Steel Wool builds what looks to be the most impressive FNAF game yet.

Players must make use of the franchise’s familiar security camera mechanic to scan the environment and plan their escape routes. Unlike other FNAF games, they must navigate the environment and actually run from the animatronics, with only a few distractions protecting them from danger. The game’s new mechanics provide for an interesting spin on the original FNAF formula, and fans as well as those new to the series are excited to see how they will play into the franchise’s iconic horror. This makes it understandable that even a small delay comes as a disappointment to those eager to step into Gregory’s shoes in FNAF: Security Breach. Thankfully, the delay won’t even be a full 24 hours.

Why FNAF: Security Breach Is Delayed From Its Midnight Release

The game, originally set to release at the stroke of midnight on December 16, will now be released the same day at 6p.m. Pacific time. The reasoning for has been outlined on Steel Wool’s website for fans to read by Executive Producer Ray McCaffrey. The announcement reads, “We know Steam said midnight, that was an oversight on our part and we apologize.” McCaffrey goes on to list the reason for the delay, which he attributes to patching out last-minute bugs to ensure a smooth release. “While we predict patches will submit tonight, there is a non-zero chance a fix breaks something else and we want to be absolutely certain we can react to that possibility. To give ourselves a bit of cushion, and you a better experience, we moved the release to later in the day.” McCaffrey notes that Steel Wool only has “a few testers,” which may account for wanting to be extra thorough.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach will release Thursday, December 16 at 6p.m. Pacific time. It’s still set to release for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 at the same time, so fans disappointed by the delay shouldn’t expect any changes there. Developer Steel Wool promises that the small delay, though disappointing, will result in a much better day-one experience for players, so the short wait should at least mean that the less-than-fun horrors of unintended bugs won’t get in the way of the FNAF scares everyone’s hoping for.