The original creator of Flappy Bird has distanced himself from a planned revival.
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Last week, it was confirmed Flappy Bird would be making a return, 10-years after it was removed from app stores.
The revival is being spear-headed by the newly-created Flappy Bird Foundation who, according to a press release, acquired the trademark from American company Gametech Holdings. The Flappy Bird Foundation has also worked with the team behind Piou Piou vs Cactus, a game which is believed to have inspired Flappy Bird.
However, the announcement made no mention of original creator Dong Nguyen. After years of development, Flappy Bird exploded in popularity towards the end of 2013 and was reportedly earning Nguyen more than £38,000 ($50,000) a day through sales and in-game adverts. However, towards the beginning of 2014, Nguyen suddenly removed Flappy Bird from all platforms after apparently feeling guilty about how addictive the game was.
According to court documents filed last year, Gametech Holdings seized Nguyen’s trademark of Flappy Bird due to inactivity [via Insider Gaming].
Nguyen has largely remained quiet since removing the game but over the weekend, he took to social media for the first time in seven years. “No, I have no [relation] with their game,” he wrote. “I did not sell anything.”
No, I have no related with their game. I did not sell anything.
I also don’t support crypto.
— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) September 15, 2024
He also called out the rumours that the relaunched game is a front for a crypto scam, with fans uncovering hidden pages of the relaunched website. “The original Flappy Bird is back and will fly higher than ever on Solana as it soars into web 3.0,” the website read, with players given the chance to “build, create, play, and stake to own.”
“I also don’t support crypto,” wrote Nguyen.
Announcing the game’s return, the Foundation wrote: “Just a decade ago, I was the talk of the town and soaring to new heights with my 100million friends. Sadly, I had to leave the fame and spotlight behind to go home and find out who I really am.”
“Thanks to my super fans, I’m refreshed, reinvigorated, and ready to soar again. The decade-long mission involved acquiring legal rights and even working with my predecessor to uncage me and re-hatch the official Flappy Bird game,” the post continued.
An expanded, revived version of Flappy Bird is set to launch for web browsers by the end of October 2024, while a mobile version is due to launch at some point in 2025.
In other news, cosy The Lord Of The Rings game Tales Of The Shire has been delayed to 2025.
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