'Five Nights at Freddy's 4' rumors: title to be a prequel?

Scott Games

When game developer Scott Cawthon confirmed that the fourth installment in the hugely successful "Five Nights at Freddy's" series would be the last one, fans speculated that he might intend to bring the game back into the past and delve deeper into the events long before the original title's story. 

The latest teaser image seems to confirm the rumor. 

Nearing its launch date this year, Cawthon has been updating the website with teaser images related to the next installment of the game. The most recent one, an image of what seems to be a brand-new top hat and bow tie, seems to harken back to the days before the events in the "Five Nights at Freddy's" transpired. In addition, although the words are barely legible, fans can see watermarks that say "property of Fredbear's Family Diner." 

If the rumor is true, then the question of how all the child murders occurred in the restaurant will finally be answered. The game's central story revolves around the chain of diners by Fazbear Entertainment, and the grisly events that happened at the restaurant chain. Coincidence or not, the first restaurant in the chain is the original Fredbear's Family Diner. 

Most fans are familiar with hidden teasers on the images themselves. In the most recent image, it seems that the focus is on the top hat and bow tie, signature accessories of Freddy Fazbear. However, as with other previous teasers, there are layers of hidden meanings on the images themselves. This time, it seems that a reflection on the floor where the items are laid out mirrors an animatronic with razor-sharp teeth.

The teasers seem to be connected to one another. In the previous teaser image, fans were introduced to the razor-sharp biters and claw hook of Nightmare Foxy. This image also showed the watermark for the game's reported Oct. 31 release.