Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen is finally considering relaunching the wildly popular game about a month after pulling it down. He had removed the game from App Store and Google Play Store on February 9. Nguyen has been hiding away from the media attention and spotlight. The 28-year old is now living at a friend’s apartment in Hanoi, Vietnam.
David Kushner of Rolling Store tracked him down in Vietnam. Nguyen (pronounced Nwin) took down the game, saying that it’s become too addictive for users and they have begun to spend a lot of time on it. He went into a self-imposed exile to avoid media attention amid accusations of Mario thievery. He said Flappy Bird had ruined his simple life.
The relaunched version of Flappy Bird will come with a warning
Dozens of Flappy Bird clones have appeared on App Store and Google Play Store to capitalize on the popularity of the game. You can also play the game online here. Before it was taken down, the game was downloaded more than 50 million times, and was topping the charts in about 100 countries. Though Flappy Bird was free for users, it generated about $50,000 per day in advertising revenue for Dong Nguyen. Users who have downloaded Flappy Bird can still play the game.
Dong Nguyen has received many purchase offers for Flappy Bird, but he has turned them all down. He told Rolling Stone that he is now feeling relaxed. When asked about whether Flappy Bird would ever fly again, Nguyen said he is considering it. But the relaunched version will come with a “warning” that says “Please take a break.”
Flappy Bird developer to launch new games this month
Nguyen is also working on many new games including an “action chess” game, a cowboy-themed shooter, and a vertical flying game called Kitty Jetpack. At least one of these games will be released later this month. Developing a brilliant game like Flappy Bird was not an accident for Nguyen. He continued to improve it until it became worthy of its viral success.
