Flappy Bird was a mobile game developed by Vietnamese video game artist and programmer Dong Nguyen, under his game development company dotGears. The game was released in May 2013 and rapidly became one of the most downloaded mobile games. However, despite its huge success, Nguyen controversially removed Flappy Bird from app stores in February 2014. The sudden removal sparked widespread speculation as to why Flappy Bird was shut down.
Flappy Bird’s Mechanics and Gameplay
Flappy Bird was an arcade-style game where the player taps the screen to make the bird flap its wings and fly between green pipes. The pipes have equally sized gaps placed at random heights. If the bird hits a pipe, the game ends. The player earns a point for every pipe passed. There are no other controls besides tapping the screen.
Despite its simple gameplay, Flappy Bird was notorious for its extreme difficulty. The bird moved faster than expected and the pipe gaps were narrow. Even minor mistakes caused the bird to crash into pipes. This frustrating difficulty was a major factor behind the game’s popularity and addictiveness. Players kept trying over and over to achieve higher scores.
Flappy Bird’s Sudden Rise to Fame
While Dong Nguyen had previously developed several mobile games, Flappy Bird was his first major viral hit. The game was originally released on iOS App Store on May 24, 2013 and on Google Play for Android on May 30, 2013.
In early 2014, Flappy Bird suddenly and inexplicably rose to fame, becoming one of the most downloaded mobile games globally. By January 2014, it had become the No. 1 free game on the App Store in over 100 countries. In February 2014, Flappy Bird had an estimated 60 million global downloads and 50 million daily active users.
Several factors contributed to Flappy Bird’s meteoric success:
- Extreme difficulty level caused players to get hooked
- Plain pixel art aesthetics gave it a retro appeal
- Simple one-tap controls suitable for casual mobile gaming
- Positive social media buzz and word-of-mouth
- Featured by the App Store after gaining download momentum
Flappy Bird’s Sudden Removal
At the peak of Flappy Bird’s popularity on February 8, 2014, Dong Nguyen mysteriously removed the game from both the App Store and Google Play.
Nguyen tweeted “I cannot take this anymore” shortly before the game was taken down. He later said in an interview “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.”
The sudden removal took the gaming world by surprise and left fans disappointed. Flappy Bird no longer worked for users who had already downloaded it. This fueled speculation about the real reasons behind the shutdown.
Reasons for Flappy Bird’s Removal
Several factors have been cited as potential reasons why Dong Nguyen decided to pull the plug on his hit game:
Too Much Attention
As a solo indie developer, Nguyen was not prepared for the massive fame generated by Flappy Bird. He felt overwhelmed by the media spotlight and criticized for creating an “addictive product”. Nguyen has said “it is something I never want.” This unwanted attention was likely a major reason he removed the game.
Profit Motives
Some have speculated that Nguyen removed Flappy Bird to control the supply and increase profits, or negotiate better deals with publishers. However, he has denied financial motivations. Nguyen tweeted “I am not taking advantage of anyone. I didn’t remove Flappy Bird to boost my downloads.”
Legal Issues
Critics accused Flappy Bird of plagiarizing Nintendo’s Mario games due to its visual style and pipe obstacles. However, no lawsuits were ever filed. Nguyen said Flappy Bird’s artwork is “not anything related to Mario”. While legal issues were possible, they don’t seem a likely direct cause of the game’s removal.
Negative Publicity
Flappy Bird received criticism for its excessive difficulty, highly addictive nature and similarities to other games. Teachers said it was distracting students in classrooms. Nguyen likely removed the game to avoid further backlash and negative publicity around these issues.
Stress and Guilt
Running Flappy Bird became too much for one person to handle alone. Nguyen felt guilty about the game’s addictiveness which could potentially waste users’ time. He said “I think it has become a problem…To solve that problem, it’s best to take down Flappy Bird. It’s gone forever.” Removing the game was a relief from stress.
Impact of Flappy Bird’s Shutdown
Flappy Bird’s shutdown had ripple effects across the mobile gaming world:
- Fans mourned the loss of the game. Tweets lamented that Flappy Bird was gone forever.
- Phones with Flappy Bird installed sold for inflated prices on eBay, up to $20,000 USD.
- Developers quickly cloned the game, releasing similar titles like Flap Flap and Flying Cyrus.
- App stores changed their featured game policies to prevent cloning.
- It highlighted issues around mobile game popularity, virality, and addictiveness.
- The shutdown added to Flappy Bird’s legendary status in mobile gaming history.
Although short-lived, Flappy Bird had a lasting legacy and impact on the mobile games industry. Its creator, Dong Nguyen, has gone on to develop many more popular mobile games.
Conclusion
Flappy Bird rapidly grew from obscurity into a global gaming phenomenon, only to abruptly disappear at its peak. While the exact reasons remain unclear, creator Dong Nguyen seemed overwhelmed by the massive attention and felt the game became too addictive. Flappy Bird’s sudden shutdown sent shockwaves through the mobile gaming world and cemented its status as a short-lived legend. Though gone, it demonstrated the explosive virality possible in today’s digital age and impacted how app stores regulate games.
