William Afton - The Animatronic
| The Animatronic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | William Afton |
| Game Alias(es) | "Springtrap" |
| Gender | Man |
| Origin | American of English descent |
| Realm | Withered Isle |
| Power | Fazbear's Fright |
| Power Attack Type | Special Attack |
| Weapon | Pizza Knife |
Movement Speed   |
110 % | 4.4 m/s |
| Alternate Movement speed | 115 % | 4.6 m/s (No Axe) |
Terror Radius  |
24 metres |
Height   |
Average |
| DLC | CHAPTER 36: Five Nights at Freddy's |
| Voice Actor | PJ Heywood (Original Voice Actor) |
| Cost | 500 Auric Cells  
|
| Menu Music | |
| CharID | K40 |
William Afton or "The Animatronic", also known as "Springtrap", is one of 40 Killers
currently featured in Dead by Daylight
.
He was introduced as the Killer of CHAPTER 36: Five Nights at Freddy's, a Chapter DLC released on 17 June 2025.
He originates from the Video Game Franchise Five Nights at Freddy's, specifically Five Nights at Freddy's 3.
Overview
|
A monstrosity of flesh and metal, Springtrap’s bloodstained past is littered with the innocent dead. His horrifying innovations are a reminder that beneath the cruelty lies a brilliant inventor, whose creations brought laughter and screams to the same unfortunate audience. | 
|
The Animatronic always comes back.
His personal Perks, Help Wanted
, Phantom Fear
, and Haywire
, help him compromise Generators, make Survivors scream, and regress Exit Gate Switches.
Lore
Deep within the abandoned Freddy Fazbears`s Pizza, William Afton ran from the ghosts of his victims. He frantically put on his beloved Spring Bonnie costume, the disguise he wore while committing his heinous crimes, to hide from the pursuing spirits.
But fate had different plans for Afton. Something activated the springlocks within the Spring Bonnie costume. Metal clamped against metal, piercing the murderer and trapping him in his costume. As he screamed, the checkerboard floor rose up to meet him, and everything went black.
Thus was Springtrap born: from the death of a murderer.
He awoke to a familiar sound, his body a pillar of agony. The ghosts that had tormented him were gone. The walls surrounding him were decomposing, the floor beneath him failing away in mouldy patches. How much time had transpired since the springlocks tore through his body and fixed him within his costume? The urge to kill lingered within him still, the thirst long left unquenched.
The sound filled his ears again, Children`s laughter. Were children playing in the kitchen? Springtrap rose to his feet, adjusting to his new body, and marched towards the sounds.
He picked up speed as he moved. Walking turned to running. He rushed into the kitchen and found,
Nothing.
No children, no games, no laughter. Just a swirling mass of black fog enveloping the far wall.
Springtrap examined the fog. Curiosity tightened his grip on him as he stared into the darkness, his distended eyes could see shapes emerge within the fog.
Who were they? It didn`t matter. They were his victims now. Somehow, he knew the hunt could go on forever.
All he had to do was step into the fog.
Load-out
Unique Perks
The Animatronic comes with 3 Perks
that are unique to him:
 |
Haywire | "For some reason, machinery has a habit of failing when you are near."
Whenever a Survivor stops opening an Exit Gate
|
|---|---|---|
 |
Help Wanted | "Try as they might, you know how to stay one step ahead of your guests."
After performing the Damage Generator action, Help Wanted activates:
|
 |
Phantom Fear | "You have always had a reputation for startling unsuspecting guests."
Whenever a Survivor within your Terror Radius
"Excellent. Your screams please me." — Springtrap |
Prestige
Prestiging The Animatronic will automatically add Tier I of his Unique Perks to the inventories of all other Killers and unlock the ability for their higher-tiered versions to spawn in their Bloodweb
.
Prestige The Animatronic twice more to automatically add Tier II and Tier III respectively into the other Killers' inventories.
Weapon: Pizza Knife
The Pizza Knife is the Primary Weapon of The Animatronic.
Death was not the end. He was born anew, driven to continue his killing spree.
Power: Fazbear's Fright
"The Animatronic lived to kill, even when his mechanical costume became his tomb."
SPECIAL ABILITY: FAZBEAR'S FRIGHT
The Animatronic is armed with a Fire Axe, that he can throw, and causes 7 Security Doors to spawn in the environment.
SPECIAL ABILITY: FIRE AXE
Press and hold the Power button to initiate Ready Aim.
Press the Attack button to throw the Fire Axe or release the Power button to cancel the Power.
Once the Fire Axe hits its target, it embeds itself and applies various effects, depending on its target, and until it is dislodged again:
- Inflicts the Broken
and Oblivious
Status Effects while embedded in a Survivor. - Creates an Area of Effect of 2 metres around it while embedded in the environment.
SPECIAL MAP FEATURE: SECURITY SYSTEM
The Security Doors found in the enviroment can be accessed by both Survivors and The Animatronic.
Upon entering a Security Door, The Animatronic benefits from the following effect:
- Grants the Undetectable
Status Effect.
- This effect lingers for 20 seconds after exiting a Security Door.
The Status Effect is cancelled instantly if a Survivor using Camera View reveals The Animatronic.
SPECIAL INTERACTION: CAMERA VIEW
Each Security Door has a Camera attached to it.
Interacting with the door gives a Survivor access to the Camera View, allowing them to cycle through every Camera, travel to the Security Door they are currently looking through, and potentially reveal the Aura
of The Animatronic to the team, while he moves through the doors.
SPECIAL MECHANIC: BATTERY POWER
Using the Cameras and Security Doors too often will deplete the limited battery power available, forcing Survivors to wait until the system reboots.
The Animatronic may travel between doors with or without battery power.
SPECIAL LOCATION: SECURITY ROOM
If The Animatronic enters a Security Door, they may choose to exit from any other door in the environment.
Moving to a door already in use by a Survivor will cause The Animatronic to grab that Survivor.
Power Trivia
Movement Speeds:
- Performing an Axe Throw: 2.76 m/s
- Winding up an Axe Throw: 3.68 m/s
- Walking: 4.4 m/s
- Walking without the Fire Axe equipped: 4.6 m/s
- If The Animatronic's Fire Axe is embedded on the environment or on a survivor, he will walk at this movement speed.
Fire Axe:
- Winding up a Throw: 1 second
- Winding up grace period: 0.15 seconds
- The grace period is part of the winding up phase and starts as soon as the input for it is initiated, making the wind up action seem shorter than it actually is.
- Cancel Wind up: 1 second
- Recall Duration: 1.5 seconds
- Post-Throw Cool-down Duration: 2 seconds
- This cool-down starts after the projectile launch phase is finished.
- Missed Fire Axe Recharge: 7 seconds
- Successful Fire Axe Recharge: 10 seconds
- The Fire Axe's recharge starts as soon as the Throw action is initiated.
- Projectile Launch: 0.25 seconds
- Projectile Speed: 30 m/s
- Projectile Gravity: 68.6 m/s2
- Projectile Maximum Range: 16 metres
- Hitboxes:
- Environmental Collision Radius: 0.05 metres
- Survivor Detection Radius: 0.55 metres
- Grab/Jumpscare:
- Grab Survivor Interaction: 4.2 seconds
- Grab distance: 3 metres
- Killer look angle tolerance for a valid grab: 45°
- Area of Effect:
- AoE shrinking time: 0 seconds
- AoE expansion time: 0.5 seconds
- AoE duration: 15 seconds
- Initial AoE Radius: 1 metre
- Final AoE Radius: 2 metres
- Near-Miss:
- Near-Miss Killer Instinct Duration: 2 seconds
- Near-Miss Radius: 1 metre
Security Doors:
- Killer Exit Door: 1 second
- Killer Enter Door: 2 seconds
- Killer Teleport: 3 seconds
- Office Jumpscare duration: 2.5 seconds
- Disabled Security Door linger duration: 10 seconds
- If The Animatronic embeds the Fire Axe on a Security Door to disable the door and then decides to recall the axe, the affected door will remain disabled for Survivors for this amount of time.
- Undetectable lingering effect duration: 20 seconds
- Distance threshold for generators near Security Doors: 16 metres
- If an already spawned Security Door is closer than this threshold from the generator being evaluated, a harsher penalty will be applied for spawning another Security Door.
Survivor Interactions:
- Fire Axe:
- Altruistic Remove Axe Interaction: 5 seconds
- Self-Remove Axe Interaction: 8 seconds
- Security Doors:
- Maximum Security Door aura reveal distance: 16 metres
- Killer reveal system:
- Look at Killer distance to reveal: 18 metres
- Look at Killer time to reveal: 4 seconds
- Look at Killer angle to reveal: 25°
- Killer reveal to all survivors duration: 10 seconds
- Security Camera system:
- Minimum camera transition time: 0.1 seconds
- Max security camera pitch: 40°
- Max security camera yaw: 180°
- Office Area:
- Survivor Enter Door: 1 second
- Survivor Exit Door: 2 seconds
- Survivor Teleport: 5 seconds
- Battery:
- Battery consumption on Survivor Door Traversal: -15 charges
- Battery maximum charge: 100 charges
- Battery upon reboot completion: 50 charges
- Battery threshold to enter reboot phase: 0 charges
- Battery recharge rate: +5 c/s
- Battery decharge rate per camera in use: -7 c/s
- Battery reboot duration: 45 seconds
Add-ons for Fazbear's Fright
| Icon | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
 |
Greasy Paper Plate | It sticks to everything it touches. No amount of soap can wash it off. While removing the Fire Axe embedded in them, the Survivor suffers from the following effect:
|
 |
Help Wanted Ad | We all need a little help sometimes...
While winding up an axe throw, you benefit from the following effect:
|
 |
Restaurant Menu | The lamination is peeling and crusty. How appetising. While retrieving the Fire Axe whenever it is embedded in the environment, you benefit from the following effect:
|
 |
Rotten Pizza | Food poisoning is no laughing matter.
You benefit from the following effect:
|
 |
Office Phone | He tried to leave messages as a warning. He did not last long, either. While within 24 metres of the Survivor embedded with the Fire Axe, other Survivors suffer from the primary effect:
   , they also suffer from the secondary effect:
|
 |
Party Hat | The party never ends, no matter how much they beg.
While the Fire Axe is embedded in the environment, the following effects apply:
|
 |
Ripped Curtain | Taken from Pirates Cove, caught on the animatronic that lived there.
Survivors hit with the Fire Axe suffer from the following effects:
|
 |
Security Guard's Badge | The badge comes with certain privileges for whoever carries it.
Upon exiting a Security Door after teleporting to it, the following effect applies:
|
 |
Streamers | Employees would throw them over the rafters for a quick decoration.
While travelling through the Security Doors, you benefit from the following effect:
|
 |
Bonnie's Guitar Strings | Worn strings that are off-tune and liable to snap.
Unlocks potential in your Aura-reading ability while moving between Security Doors: Upon exiting a Security Door after teleporting to it, the following effect applies:
|
 |
Chica's Bib | A good way to keep Mr Cupcake from making a mess.
While inside the Area of Effect of the Fire Axe, Survivors suffer from the following effect:
|
 |
Foxy's Hook | A pirate's hook that seems more menacing than playful.
While inside the Area of Effect of the Fire Axe, Players benefit from the following effect:
|
 |
Freddy's Hat | Gabriel trusted the wrong grown-up. Now he is the star of the show. Modifies the trajectory of the Fire Axe:
|
 |
Purple Guy Drawing | He only takes 10 seconds to draw!
While a Survivor has the Fire Axe embedded in them, whenever they perform a Rushed action of any kind, Purple Guy Drawing triggers its primary effect:
|
 |
Access Panel | Gaining control over the security doors is key to getting the job done.
Unlocks a special ability for the Fire Axe:
|
 |
Celebrate! Poster | The celebration lasts all night long, or until no one is left.
After embedding the Fire Axe in a Survivor, all Players benefit from the following effects while within 32 metres of that Survivor:
|
 |
Endo CPU | Greater computing power, for greater efficacy.
While inside the Area of Effect of the embedded Fire Axe, you benefit from the following effect:
|
 |
Loot Bag | Open the bag, and see what goodies are inside.
While a Survivor has the Fire Axe embedded in them, they suffer from the following effect:
|
 |
Faz-Coin | Collecting these tokens comes with a price.
Upon throwing the Fire Axe, the following effects are applied:
|
 |
Iridescent Remnant | Molten metal — in the right hands, it is the key to immortality.
Upon travelling to a Security Door, the following effect is applied to it:
|
Achievements
There are 2 Achievements related to The Animatronic:
| Icon | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Adept Animatronic | Playing as The Animatronic, achieve a Merciless Victory using only his 3 Unique Perks: Help Wanted, Phantom Fear, and Haywire |
|
Jump Scared | Playing as The Animatronic   , successfully interrupt a Survivor moving through the Security Office a total of 15 times.
|
Cosmetic Options
Players can choose from a variety of Cosmetic options to customise The Animatronic:
Base Cosmetics
Default
| Icon | Name | Body | Rarity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rotting Skull | 
|
Common | He donned the headpiece, desperate to hide from the spirits of his past. |
|
Activated Springlocks | 
|
Common | The internal mechanisms tore through flesh and bone as they snapped into place. |
|
|
Pizza Knife | 
|
Common | Death was not the end. He was born anew, driven to continue his killing spree. |
Prestige
| Icon | Name | Body | Rarity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bloodthirsty Skull |
|
Rare | He donned the headpiece, tormented by the horrors of his past. |
|
Visceral Springlocks |
|
Rare | The internal mechanisms ripped him apart as they snapped into place. |
|
Splattered Pizza Knife |
|
Rare | Death could not stop him. He was born anew, driven to shed further blood. |
Perk Charms
| Prestige Level 7 Reward | Prestige Level 8 Reward | Prestige Level 9 Reward |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| A keepsake gained upon mastery of a particular skill. | ||
In-Game Store
Thumbnail
Contains
Name
Collection Name
Release Date
Price
 Description
He emerged from the depths of corrosive despair, radiating a newfound evil.
1080
 ⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
Engorged cysts emerged from the suit. His mind swam with disturbing sensations.
 Piece
Name
Collection
Veins coiled through his appendages, organic tissue that brought forth even more cysts.
 Piece
Name
Collection
The corrosion ate away at the blade, sacrificing none of it's brutal efficiency.
Thumbnail
Contains
Name
Collection Name
Release Date
Price
Description
As the fog settled, he felt himself take on a form he did not recognize.
1080
⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
The makeup did not come off as he rubbed his fingertips against the matted fur.
 Piece
Name
Collection
The sight of a jacket and pants caught him by suprise. His characters often went without clothes.
 Piece
Name
Collection
The blade was something to behold. And he knew many would in their final moments.
Thumbnail
Contains
Name
Collection Name
Release Date
Price
Description
A mascot from the machine. A virtual manifestation of evil made flesh in the Entity's Realm.
1450
⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
What lies behind those purple eyes and that malicious smile?
 Piece
Name
Collection
He was torn apart and reassembled by various beta testers throughout development
 Piece
Name
Collection
Even his weapon of choice was corrupted by untold errors.
Thumbnail
Contains
Name
Collection Name
Release Date
Price
Description
As he was dragged away by his own creations, a black fog took hold and dragged him somewhere else entirely.
1450
⇓ Expand ⇓
 Piece
Name
Collection
Most knew him as a well-intentioned career counselor, but his facade concealed his true identity.
 Piece
Name
Collection
He had killed many times before, disposing of the bodies inside the animatronics at a local pizzeria.
 Piece
Name
Collection
Any semblance of morality was long gone, nothing and no-one would stop him.
|
Alternate Character Models
The Animatronic has 2 alternate Character models available in the in-game Store:
DLC
The Animatronic is part of 1 DLC:
Change Log
Patch 9.0.1
- Survivor Quality of Life: adjusted the Aura-colour of the Security Door the The Animatronic is currently at for Survivors viewing him through the Security Cameras to improve the distinction between various Aura-colours.
Trivia
- The Animatronic was the fourth video game licensed Killer featured in Dead by Daylight.
- The Animatronic is the second Killer with a Power that allows him to immediately grab Survivors that is separate from a basic grab.
- The Animatronic's design in Dead by Daylight retains many details from his origin franchise with subtle changes for the game;
- On his body, he lacks the original black button on his chest, as well as the darker color patterns on his stomach.
- William Afton's decayed corpse is present inside the suit as opposed to in the Five Nights at Freddy's series, where only his head and intestines were visible.
- For Dead by Daylight, William's arms and legs are severed at the elbow and ankles, respectively.
- His lore references multiple different parts of Five Nights at Freddy's 3:
- The first 3 lines reference his death and rebirth as seen at the end of Night 5; being chased by the ghosts of his victims until being forced into a springlock animatronic suit, that then malfunctions and kills him.
- The 5th line references the audio lure, a gameplay mechanic that involves luring Springtrap around Fazbear's Fright using an audio sample of a child's laughter.
- This lure was presumably used by the Entity to lure William to The Fog, as his lore takes place before he was brought to Fazbear's Fright.
- Prior to Dead By Daylight, William Afton was not depicted with a Fire Axe in any official media, or a Pizza Knife, but a standard kitchen knife in the graphic novels and the movie.
- The choice for a Fire Axe in Dead By Daylight might be informed design, since the character is associated with burning buildings. The overall visuals of the Fire Axe reflect this.
- The Fire Axe could also be a direct reference to fan content, with William Afton wielding a Fire Axe In The Living Tombstone's Five Nights at Freddy's 3 music video in which he uses it to dismember the main 4 animatronics in the series. This animation is a more plausible rendition of the Five Nights at Freddy's 3 minigame where William Afton dismembers them by hand. This could make sense considering the events of the minigame and animation take place right before William Afton gets springlocked which leads to Afton finding the Fog after waking up, possibly bringing the axe with him.
Easter Eggs & References
- The Animatronic features two unique Lobby Animations when selecting him, featuring him walking across the screen or peering out from the right side before exiting. This is a reference to him entering the office before jumpscaring and killing the player in Five Nights at Freddy's 3.
- The Animatronic's power name, Fazbear's Fright, is a direct reference to the location of the same name that Five Nights at Freddy's 3 takes place in.
- Coincidently, there is a short story book series of a similar name; Fazbear Frights.
- The perk Phantom Fear may be a reference to a jumpscare mechanic in Five Nights at Freddy's 3, in which looking at some of the Phantom Animatronic will jumpscare the player.
- The jumpscares in both his Mori and when grabbing the Fire Axe may also reference this, as the Phantom Animatronics will scream in the player's face when jumpscaring them.
- The Animatronic's idle animation in both the Lobby and in a Trial is identical to his official render in Five Nights at Freddy's 3 after completing the game, where you can view not only Springtrap, but the other Phantom Animatronics.
- While in the Lobby, The Animatronic may convulse and grab his head screaming before returning to his normal idle stance. The way he grabs his head is similar to the hidden screenshots that may appear when starting up a game when playing Five Nights at Freddy's 3.
- The Animatronic's official store render in Dead by Daylight is very similar to his official render for his appearance in Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery.
- The Animatronic's weapon clean animation after a Basic Attack is a reference to the same action from the live action Five Nights at Freddy's movie, which in turn was a nod to the Scream franchise, as Matthew Lillard played one of the two original Ghostfaces in addition to William Afton.
- The Endoskeleton featured in The Animatronic's Mori is a reference to the Five Nights at Freddy's movie, as it was later used to try and kill the protagonist Mike Schmidt.
- This Endoskeleton is also present in the Parts and Service Room within Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
- Entering Supply Closet will cause an Endoskeleton to pop out of a vent in the ceiling. This is likely a reference to both Five Nights at Freddy's 2 and 3 where the Animatronics, including William Afton, will traverse the Pizzeria and later Fazbear's Fright through the vents in the buildings.
- When sitting in the lobby looking at the Survivors, The Animatronic may turn slightly and look at the screen. The way he does this is similar to the way he looks at the security guard through the cameras in one of the vents in Five Nights at Freddy's 3.
Cosmetic Trivia
- The Yellow Rabbit is taken directly from William Afton's appearance in the live action Five Nights at Freddy's movie, with Matthew Lillard reprising his role through both voice and likeness in Dead by Daylight.
- His starting animation is a reference to his entrance in the movie wearing the costume.
- When loading into a Trial, one can see him holding his left side of his belly. This is where the springlocks had activated when he was attacked by the Cupcake.
- Yellow Rabbit has voice lines towards Nicolas Cage, making him the third killer since Chucky to have the actor.
- Glitchtrap originates from Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted, serving as the main antagonist.
- Glitchtrap intro is a reference to the Pizza Party ending, where he waves at the player and lures them to get stuffed inside Freddy Fazbear, while dancing in the background.
- Glitchtrap is the second legendary since Rize Kamishiro to feature a slightly altered Mori animation as instead of jumpscaring, he shushes at the survivor.
- Glitchtrap is the first legendary to feature unique grab animations.
- The first is when he grabs his axe, instead of jumpscaring, he will shush at the Survivor.
- The second is when he catches a Survivor while traveling in the office, instead of immediately running towards the survivor he will wave at them and pull out a knife behind his back after grabbing a survivor.
- Glitchtrap is very heavily implied to not be William Afton, however, and is instead the Mimic program mimicking him posthumously. This topic is very heavily debated, due to being an unconfirmed theory, with sources conflicting each other.
- Originally a digital manifestation within Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted, the flavour text for the cosmetic states that the Entity had transformed Glitchtrap into a physical being.
- While sitting idle in the lobby, Glitchtrap will occasionally jumpscare unsuspecting players.
- Toxic Springtrap and Clown Springtrap are both from Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery, a now defunct mobile game.
- Toxic Springtrap was given a slight redesign for his appearance in Dead by Daylight, featuring a more bloated appearance.
- Clown Springtrap features make up in William Afton's face.
Voice Actor
- The Animatronic is voiced by PJ Heywood, who previously voiced the character in other media related to Five Nights at Freddy's.
- Similarly, Matthew Lillard reprises his role to voice The Yellow Rabbit, a Legendary Outfit for The Animatronic.
Voice Lines
- Most of The Animatronic's voice lines are references to his quotes in the games Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery and Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator. However, some of his lines are taken from other characters from Ultimate Custom Night and Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator.
- His iconic catchphrase "I always come back" is a reference to the Five Nights At Freddy's 3 teaser trailer, which contains the lines "He will come back; he always does", as well as being a line spoken by him in Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator, Ultimate Custom Night, and the Five Nights at Freddy's movie.
- "The darkest pit of hell is open for business" is a reference to a line delivered by Henry Emily in one of the endings of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator. ("Although for one of you, the darkest pit of hell has opened to swallow you whole, so don't keep the Devil waiting, old friend.")
- "You will not be spared, you will not be saved" and "I am here to claim what is left of you" are taken from his quotes in Five Nights at Freddy's AR: Special Delivery, which are in turn directly taken from Nightmare in Ultimate Custom Night.
- "Play with fire and you'll get burned" is taken and altered from Rockstar Foxy in Ultimate Custom Night. ("Y'arr, ya play with fire and sometimes ye get burned!")
- This line also serves as a reference to his fate at the end of both Five Nights at Freddy's 3 and Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator, where in both instances he gets lit on fire.
- "Lets pull you apart" is taken and slightly altered from Nightmare Fredbear in Ultimate Custom Night. ("Let's see how many times you can be pulled apart.")
- "It's me" is a recurring phrase in the series that is often associated with Golden Freddy, but has also been used by Glitchtrap, an alternate version of Springtrap, in Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted.
- "Don't move." is a line spoken by William Afton in the Silver Eyes novel and its graphic novel after he removes the Spring Bonnie suit to reveal his springlock scars to Carlton.
Gallery
In-game assets
The Animatronic
The Animatronic (Portrait render)
The Animatronic (Background image)
Official art
References
