What happened to Flappy Bird, the addictive bird game for mobile phones?

The year was 2014 and games like this Temple Run And angry Birds It made millions of mobile device owners happy. But in the same year, a simple and previously unknown Vietnamese game called Flappy Birds was released and became a part of the history of the industry as quickly as its decline.

Originally released in 2013 and responsible for a massive craze in January 2014, developer Dong Nguyen’s work has become one of the most popular games ever made for smartphones. Just like its success, the game’s unexpected removal from digital platforms also surprised the world.

Amidst all the controversy, gossip, misinformation, and stories about fame and humility, what happened to Flappy Bird?

Who is Dong Nguyen?

Dong Nguyen is a Vietnamese developer who started making his first contacts with the world of development and coding when he was 16 years old. I’m passionate about games like Super Mario Brothers., Nguyen started working in the gaming world as an intern at Punch Entertainment, a game developer in Vietnam.

At the moment of explosion Flappy BirdAt the time, the 28-year-old developer was living in Hanoi city with his family. However, his job was to program positioning devices for taxis in the city.

But one weekend changed Dong’s life radically. In about three days, the young developer created a simple game featuring a funny bug that must escape through pipes by touching the screen.

Flight and ascent Flappy Bird

On May 24, 2013, Dong Nguyen was released. Flappy Bird As a free app on the Apple Store. The idea of ​​the game was the same and that friendly little yellow bird had big eyes, lips and was named Faby. In fact, Faby was originally created by the developer for another project, but it was never released.

Initially to the reception Flappy Bird It wasn’t a big deal. The game was not featured and appeared to be just one of the thousands of software released every day on Maça’s digital platform, until something unexpected happened.

YouTuber PewDiePie, who had the most subscribed profile on the social network at the time, published a video in January 2014 analyzing the hitherto unknown. Flappy Bird. Soon the game became a worldwide sensation, with thousands of downloads and countless users playing it.

Even though it’s so simple Flappy Bird It had the essence of a viral game. Since the only mechanic is to avoid pipes by tapping the smartphone screen and collecting points, its main proposition was to be a relaxing game that users could enjoy in a short time.

Following its success on iOS, the developer also released a version for Android devices a few days later, which further increased the number of downloads. This title quickly became the most popular on app stores and became a sensation everywhere. The big question then was: “What was your highest score on the exam?” Flappy Bird?” in circles of friends.

The game has reached more than 90 million downloads on virtual platforms, and according to an article published by The Verge, the project earned its creator $50,000 per day. However, in a later interview, Nguyen did not confirm this figure but stated that the amount was high.

bird’s fall

With growing and unimaginable success, Flappy Bird Shortly after going viral, he was already inducted into the gaming hall of fame. But on February 9, an unexpected post on Dong Nguyen’s official Twitter profile (currently X) revealed the following: Flappy Bird It will be removed from all platforms.

Along with a brief farewell message, the developer wrote: “I apologize to users Flappy Bird. I will remove it in 22 hours Flappy Bird from the air I can’t take this anymore.” It was time for the internet to search endlessly for answers and conspiracy theories about the impending end of the bird game.

An interview with Dong Nguyen published by Forbes on February 11 explained the reasons behind the exclusion of the iconic game. The developer says it created the game to be a relaxing and fun experience for users, but it turned into an addictive and alienating project.

“Flappy Bird It is designed to be played for a few minutes when you are comfortable. But it turned out to be an addictive product. I think this has become a problem. The best thing to solve this problem is to take Flappy Bird offline. It’s gone forever,” says Nguyen.

Adding to Flappy Bird’s addictive motif, Dong said he can no longer sleep or live a normal life. Overnight, his silent routine moved into the world of the Internet and stamped his name as the great creator of absolute commercial success. “I don’t think it’s a mistake [remover o game]. I thought this through. After the success of Flappy Bird, I feel more confident and have the freedom to do what I want,” comments the developer.

unexpected return

except Flappy Birdthe game has become rare on smartphones that still have the game installed. Since 2014, countless copies have flooded the Play Store and Apple Store. Flappy Plane, Flappy Angry Birds and many other similar games, but they never had the essence of classicism.

However, to everyone’s surprise, the Flappy Bird Foundation recently announced plans to bring the iconic game back to life. The foundation, led by several experienced developers, would purchase the rights to the brand Flappy Bird After Nguyen failed to register the patent.

According to the group, the return of the project will be ambitious, but it has raised doubts due to its relevance to cryptocurrencies. The reason for this centers on Michael Roberts, the founder of 1208 Productions, a company focused on creating games related to NFTs and cryptocurrencies.

Diriliş, which is expected to be released at the end of 2024 Flappy Bird It has absolutely nothing to do with Dong Nguyen. X (Formerly Twitter) says on its account that the brand does not sell its intellectual property and does not support cryptocurrencies.

No, I have no affiliation with their game. I didn’t sell anything.
I also do not support crypto.

— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) September 15, 2024

Nguyen continues to quietly develop games and seems to have found the peace he was looking for, even though the peace he created has gotten out of his control after more than a decade.