Michael Beckwith 
Short-lived mobile sensation Flappy Bird is inexplicably being revived, but many are still wondering what led to it disappearing in the first place.
A simple side scroller where players had to keep a bird flying for as long as possible while avoiding pipes, Flappy Bird originally launched in May 2013 for iOS devices. However, it wasn’t until after its Android launch in January 2014 that it spiked in popularity. Even more surprising than its sudden success was that it wound up being discontinued just one month later in February.
Over the years, there have been many homages and successors, ranging from mini-games in Dota 2’s Crownfall event to outright bootleg versions of the game.
This revival aims to make Flappy Bird available again on iOS and Android. However, the announcement mentions plans to bring it to even more platforms, including web browsers. The official website has also confirmed the game will offer a lot more than it did originally, such as different playable characters and new game modes. But why did the game vanish in the first place and why is it only now making a comeback?
Why did Flappy Bird disappear from app stores?
Flappy Bird’s creator pulled the game from app stores because he believed the game to be addicting.
Before Flappy Bird was removed from the Apple and Google app stores, its creator, Vietnamese developer Dong Nguyen, put out a simple Tweet saying, “I am sorry Flappy Bird users, 22 hours from now, I will take Flappy Bird down. I cannot take this anymore.” At the time, there was speculation it was due to legal issues since the game had been met with allegations of plagiarism regarding its graphics and gameplay. However, Nguyen denied this, adding, “It is not anything related to legal issues. I just cannot keep it anymore.”
In an interview with Forbes that same month, Nguyen provided a more concrete reason for Flappy Bird’s removal. The game had grown too popular for Nguyen’s liking, to the point where it had become addictive. Nguyen felt it was best to simply kill the game entirely, even if it was proving financially lucrative.
“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,” Nguyen told Forbes. “To solve that problem, it’s best to take down Flappy Bird. It’s gone forever.”
Flappy Bird creator isn’t part of revival
Flappy Bird’s creator is not part of the game’s revival in 2024.
Nguyen hasn’t really had a change of heart over his decision to make Flappy Bird disappear from app stores 10 years ago. This revival is being helmed by a group of Flappy Bird fans appropriately named the Flappy Bird Foundation, who have acquired the rights to the IP.
“It’s been a decade-long, convoluted journey to get here, but we’re so excited to finally begin sharing Flappy Bird once again with the world,” said a spokesperson.
Although the exact details aren’t clear, it has been suggested Nguyen didn’t even sell the IP rights to the Flappy Bird Foundation. Court documents spotted and shared by Twitter user and game developer Sam Chiet point to enough time passing for the Flappy Bird trademark to be considered abandoned. Another studio named Gametech Holdings was essentially able to swipe it for itself before passing it on to the Flappy Bird Foundation. Regardless of the hows and whys, it at least looks like Nguyen has zero involvement with Flappy Bird’s return.
