Five Nights at Freddy’s is one of the world’s most popular video game franchises. Since the release of the original game in 2014, countless sequels have followed. Fans have gotten lost in the deep lore and simple gameplay that keeps you on edge the entire time you are playing. It spawned a movie that has a sequel releasing at the end of this year. Books have expanded the lore and introduced new characters. People have been waiting for the next installment, Secret of the Mimic, since it was announced in August 2024. During the PlayStation State of Play on February 12th, fans got a look at the new trailer and an exact release date.
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic Release Date
Help Wanted 2 was the last game released in the franchise back in 2023. Players are already marking their calendars for June 13th, the date the newest game gets released. The trailer is just over a minute and gives us a look at the expected gameplay. Unlike many of the past games where the player is confined to one spot, Secret of the Mimic has players exploring an entire warehouse. The voiceover instructs the player to obtain an exoskeleton and to watch out for any malfunctioning animatronics. Players will have plenty of new foes to avoid.
The Mimic makes its debut in the games. Fans of the novellas will already recognize this character, but now it makes its debut in-game. The gameplay seems to be more puzzle-based, with players having to access different areas of a huge warehouse while avoiding a whole cast of characters. More new characters are shown in the gameplay, including an elephant-looking character and a scarf-wearing creature whose face is mostly covered by a large hat. One animatronic is seen slithering through the air vents! It was exciting to see the gameplay, but where does this fit in the narrative?
Where Does This Game Fall In The Canon?
Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic is set in 1979, making it the oldest story in the series. The game will focus on the lore of The Mimic (hence the title) and will add more to the story that happens before the original game. While fans are definitely excited to engage in the gameplay, many will play the game solely to continue to piece together the complicated history of the Fazbear company. Expect to see many articles and videos breaking down how this fits into the canon once the game releases on June 13.
It will also be interesting to see how the other characters fit into the storyline. We don’t see any of the well-known animatronics that have haunted the halls of the doomed pizza franchise. While we know The Mimic is the central character, the others have to fit into the story somehow. Are they failed characters from another franchise? Will we see them in future games, or are they one-off characters? This is what makes this game so great. It isn’t just the gameplay gamers are excited about. It’s the storyline as well.
Final Thoughts
This release perfectly syncs with the movie release. Fans will be buzzing about Five Nights at Freddy’s: Secret of the Mimic throughout the summer. This will hopefully carry over until the December release of the movie. The release is only a few short months away and was one of the big reveals at the PlayStation State of Play event. Check out more news from the event here!
