What happened to the

addictive flappy bird game?

IMAGE VIA WIKIPEDIA

Flappy Bird was a mobile game that made you play as a pixelated bird.  Users would need to avoid obstacles by tapping the screen and flying through them.

The appeal of Flappy Bird was primarily based on its extremely easy gameplay. However, while the game was designed in a very simple manner, it was actually hard to master.

Its creator, Vietnam-based Dong Nguyen, took the game down despite making $50,000 per day from it. But why did he feel the need to do that?

IMAGE VIA SHUTTERSTOCK

Nguyen decided to kill the game because he simply couldn’t handle the pressure. Local paparazzi in his hometown of Hanoi even began to follow him and his family around.

Additionally, people all across the globe began to harass him online and even verbally threatened him if he were ever to take the game down. 

Many Flappy Bird players were also hooked on the game, which is something Nguyen could personally relate to. In highschool, he failed multiple tests because he was addicted to games.

The removal of the game led to the creation of dozens of copycat versions. Its makers hoped that they could recreate the viral and financial success that the original game enjoyed.

Nguyen wasn’t completely done with the game, though. He later re-released it on Amazon’s Fire TV box. The new game, dubbed Flappy Birds Family, was intended to be played in groups.

IMAGE VIA DOTGEARS

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IMAGE VIA DONG NGUYEN'S TWITTER