In early 2014, a pixelated bird flapping between green pipes took over the internet. The game was called Flappy Bird, and it became a viral sensation virtually overnight. But just as quickly as it rose to fame, it mysteriously disappeared from app stores—leaving millions of users wondering:
What happened to Flappy Bird?
Let’s dive into the full story behind one of mobile gaming’s most unexpected phenomena.
🐤 The Origin of Flappy Bird
Flappy Bird was developed by Dong Nguyen, a Vietnamese indie game creator and founder of the studio .GEARS. The game was released in May 2013, but it didn’t gain widespread attention until early 2014.
The concept was simple:
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Tap the screen to keep the bird in the air.
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Navigate it through a series of pipes.
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One mistake, and the game ends.
Despite (or because of) its frustratingly difficult gameplay, Flappy Bird exploded in popularity.
🚀 The Meteoric Rise
By January 2014, Flappy Bird was:
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#1 on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store
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Downloaded over 50 million times
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Generating around $50,000 per day in ad revenue
The game's retro visuals and unforgiving mechanics made it as addictive as it was enraging. Social media helped it spread like wildfire, with players sharing their high scores—and frustrations—across platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and Vine.
❓ What Happened to Flappy Bird?
On February 9, 2014, at the height of its success, Flappy Bird was taken down from both the App Store and Google Play.
The developer, Dong Nguyen, tweeted:
“I am sorry Flappy Bird users, 22 hours from now, I will take Flappy Bird down. I cannot take this anymore.”
Just like that, Flappy Bird was gone. Users who already had the game installed could still play, but new downloads were no longer possible.
🔍 Why Did Dong Nguyen Remove Flappy Bird?
There are several key reasons why Nguyen chose to delete the game:
1. Mental and Emotional Pressure
The sudden fame overwhelmed Nguyen. He received constant media attention, interview requests, and messages from fans. As a quiet, introverted developer, the pressure became too much.
2. Guilt Over the Game’s Addictiveness
Nguyen said he felt guilty about how addictive the game had become. Some players became obsessed, and there were reports of kids and adults spending hours trying to beat their high scores.
In an interview with Forbes, he said:
“Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed. But it happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem.”
3. Rumors of Legal Issues (False)
Some speculated that Nintendo might have forced the takedown due to the pipes resembling those from Super Mario Bros. However, Nintendo publicly denied taking any action, and Nguyen never mentioned legal pressure.
💸 Aftermath of the Takedown
The sudden removal of Flappy Bird created a media storm:
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Phones with the game pre-installed were listed on eBay for thousands of dollars.
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Dozens of copycat games flooded app stores.
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Dong Nguyen became an underground icon in the game development world.
Nguyen later released a new version, Flappy Birds Family, for Amazon Fire TV, and other simple games like Swing Copters—but none reached the same heights as Flappy Bird.