Flappy Bird Creator Taking The App Down Immediately
Flappy Bird is going down! Vietnamese game developer Dong Nguyen is taking down the app immediately, which currently sits atop the iTunes and Android marketplaces.
On early Sunday morning in his local time, the indie developer dropped the bombshell, causing the players of the addictive game that has just recently invaded both Android and iOS devices.
I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down. I cannot take this anymore.
— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014
It is reported that Nguyen has been accused of ripping off other games, but he denied that his abrupt decision to end the frustration and enjoyment his game’s patrons has anything to do with any legal mess.
It is not anything related to legal issues. I just cannot keep it anymore. — Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014
And for the record, he wants to make it clear that he doesn’t sell Flappy Bird.
I also don't sell 'Flappy Bird', please don't ask.
— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014
And I still make games. — Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014
Nguyen revealed to The Verge earlier in February that he is earning an average of USD50,000 per day from the in-app ads that come with downloading the free game. Why he is suddenly turning his back on that kind of money is still unclear.
Flappy Bird has been available online since May 2013, but it has only recently attained popularity, having been downloaded over 50 million times. It has further achieved mainstream recognition after the media took notice of it. Some even called it “impossibly hard.”
“The reason Flappy Bird is so popular is that it happens to be something different from mobile games today, and is a really good game to compete against each other,” Nguyen has told The Verge. “People in the same classroom can play and compete easily because [Flappy Bird] is simple to learn, but you need skill to get a high score.”