Secret Of The Mimic Already Has An Intriguing Place In The FNAF Timeline

Summary Secret of the Mimic hints at FNAF timeline placement with 1979 setting, earliest in franchise.

Fall Fest explored in FNAF lore, ties to Mimic and possible Freddy Fazbear origin.

Teaser trailer suggests deep dive into Seventies lore, potential origin story for franchise.

The teaser trailer for next year’s Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic has already hinted towards the game having a particularly intriguing place within the FNAF timeline. With concrete details about the games’ lore and setting often hard to discern, it can be difficult to definitively place many of the franchise’s depicted and referenced events on a timeline. However, putting the FNAF games themselves in chronological order is generally much easier, and Secret of the Mimic has given an early hint which continues this trend.

Within the FNAF games, the Mimic is an animatronic first encountered during the ending of Security Breach’s Ruin DLC, although it also appeared far earlier within the franchise’s Tales from the Pizzaplex books. Between the books and games, the Mimic has rapidly grown in significance within FNAF over the last few years, and this trend is now set to continue in Secret of the Mimic. However, between the Mimic’s design and other indicators seen throughout the trailer, it seems that the new title will shed light on a point in time that could have widespread implications for the franchise’s lore.

Related FNAF: Security Breach Ruin DLC - What Is The Mimic & Who Is Helpi? FNAF: Security Breach Ruin DLC introduces The Mimic and Helpi, and many players believe they’re the same entity. But is that really the case?

Secret Of The Mimic Will Show Events From 1979

The Origins Of Freddy

Towards the end of Secret of the Mimic’s teaser released by Steel Wool Studios, it dissolves into imagery reminiscent of a film reel running out and perhaps even burning up. During this ending sequence, there is a brief flash of white text best viewed by pausing and viewing the teaser frame-by-frame. When done so, this is revealed to be ‘1979’ written sideways, a detail which naturally suggests that Secret of the Mimic is set during the year 1979. Notably, this would make Secret of the Mimic the earliest-set game in the franchise so far.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Prior to this, the earliest-set FNAF game was Five Nights at Freddy’s 4, which takes place (at least partially) in 1983. This is apparent due to the copyright of “Fredbear & Friends”, which is shown on a television during one of the minigames which follow the events leading up to the death of the ‘Crying Child’. As such, until now, 1983 was undoubtedly the earliest-depicted point in the timeline, with all other games having been explicitly set in later years.

1983 has been repeatedly referenced as the founding year of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, such as on Help Wanted’s Faz Tokens. With this being said, however, it is likely that various animatronic characters actually existed within separate smaller companies and brands before this point, including Fredbear’s Family Diner.

Interestingly, the 1979 setting is corroborated by the carpet visible within the teaser, which has a design reminiscent of patterns common to the Seventies. This strongly implies that Secret of the Mimic is set in 1979, or else its plot will revolve heavily around events taking place during that year. In any case, there has never been Five Nights at Freddy’s game set in the Seventies, and so the promise of lore being provided for this era of the timeline is intriguing, particularly as the Seventies have already been referenced in other ways within recent games.

Related Five Nights At Freddy's Creator Finally Addresses The Franchise's Biggest Mystery Five Nights At Freddy's creator Scott Cawthon has addressed a mystery fans have been trying to solve for nearly a decade.

Secret Of The Mimic Could Also Explore Fall Fest

The Importance Of The Event

Close

Another concept that has been referenced repeatedly throughout recent FNAF titles is Fall Fest, which appears to be a funfair or carnival that took place on multiple occasions in the franchise’s distant past. Help Wanted’s Curse of Dreadbear is set at the Fall Fest of 1983, according to a prominent banner, and a poster for a 1970 Fall Fest can be found in Help Wanted 2. This indicates that Fall Fest was an annual event that ran throughout the Seventies until at least the early Eighties. Moreover, the origins of the entire Fazbear brand may lie within the history of Fall Fest.

Ruin’s Mimic encounter includes several circus or carnival-themed costumes hidden in the darkness, and the new teaser even has a glimpse of the Mimic dressed as a red-nosed clown. As such, it seems that the Mimic has a strong connection to Fall Fest. Moreover, considering the Fazbear brand is also clearly tied to Fall Fest in some way, it seems possible that the Fredbear character may have originated here. This may be the “Fredbear’s Singin’ Show” attraction seen referenced in an old black and white poster in Security Breach, which would fit well with the idea of a carnival sideshow.

Fall Fest seems all but guaranteed to be the focus of an upcoming FNAF game, and while it may well introduce new FNAF characters, the existence of the carnival now seems to be part of an exploration of the Mimic’s place within the franchise. In addition to this, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic is evidently poised to explore a part of the timeline that may well be the origin point for Freddy Fazbear. It is an incredibly exciting prospect and could reveal secrets that lie at the very core of the Fazbear brand.

Source: Steel Wool Studios/YouTube