Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen said in an interview with Forbes that he took down the game because it was too addictive, and had become a problem. Before it was closed, Flappy Bird was the most popular free game around. Nguyen could no longer take how popular the game had become. His decision sparked a massive outcry from fans. Many users even issued death threats and poked fun at the 29-year old Vietnamese national. The game has been taken down, but you can still play it here.
Flappy Bird generated $50K in ad revenue every day
Nguyen told Forbes that he had designed the game over 2-3 days to play it in just a few minutes when the user is relaxed. But it grew to become an addiction. So, he had to take down Flappy Bird to solve the problem. Nguyen knows that he has killed a golden goose. According to The Verge, the game was generating more than $50,000 in advertising revenue every day. Without confirming the figure, Nguyen said he doesn’t know the exact figure, but it’s a lot.
You can still play the game: HERE
Flappy Bird developer becomes a celebrity
Dong Nguyen is a guy who was unknown a week ago, but has become almost a celebrity today. He had to delay the Forbes interview because he had a meeting with Vietnam’s deputy prime minister Vu Duc Dam. Even his parents didn’t know anything about Flappy Brid, or his role in developing the game until the media coverage went out of control over the past weekend.
Other games developed by Nguyen are also popular. On the iOS store, his Super Ball Juggling is ranked 6th and Shuriken Block is the 18th most popular game. He doesn’t have any immediate plans to shut down those games because they are “harmless.” However, he wouldn’t hesitate to remove them if they became addictive. Nguyen said he doesn’t think taking down Flappy Bird was a mistake. Now he is at peace and can sleep at night.
Anyway, Flappy Bird fans don’t have to worry about Nguyen’s move. It was a perfect opportunity for copycats to storm the Google Play and iOS App Store with clones of the game.
