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Flappy Bird creator says will take down the game on Sunday

Flappy Bird creator says will take down the game on Sunday

By NDTV Correspondent | Updated: 9 February 2014 12:37 IST

Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen took to Twitter on Saturday revealing his intentions to take down the popular game.

"I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down," Nguyen tweeted. "I cannot take this anymore."

I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down. I cannot take this anymore.
— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014

When quizzed if there were any legal reasons behind his decision, Nguyen indicated that wasn't the case, adding he just couldn't "keep it anymore".

It is not anything related to legal issues. I just cannot keep it anymore.
— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014

When a few asked Nguyen if he would be willing to sell the game, the Vietnam-based developer indicated otherwise.

I also don't sell 'Flappy Bird', please don't ask.
— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014

In his last tweet on the subject, Nguyen mentioned that we would continue to make (other) games.

And I still make games.
— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014

Flappy Bird has become a viral sensation in recent weeks, with the game become the number one free app on the iOS App Store in many countries, followed by similar success on Android's Google Play store. Nguyen had also indicated a Windows Phone version of Flappy Bird was on the way.

Flappy Bird's premise is simple, the player has to navigate the bird through a series of gaps between vertical pipe-shaped obstacles (that seem straight out of Nintendo's Mario in terms of artwork), rising up and down by tapping the screen to flap the bird's wings.

The game's popularity is believed to be linked to its difficulty, with players challenged to set a high score on a global leaderboard. There are no lives, or in-app purchases in Flappy Bird, and players get a single point for each pair of pipes they fly through, and medals after every ten points all the way up to platinum.

Flappy Bird guide blossomed around the Web and app stores to help frustrated players, who complained of not being able to stop playing, continually wanting to set a new high score. Users sharing screenshots of their new Flappy Bird high score on Facebook and Twitter became a common sight.

At the same time, many questioned the game's success, with players and 'critics' pointing out the jerky animation, bad graphics, poorly placed banner ads, and buggy edge-detection.

Flappy Bird for iOS and Android is available as of writing this post, but that looks set to change soon.

What do you think of Dong Nguyen's decision to take down the game? Have you tried Flappy Bird yet, and what is your high score? Let us know via the comments.

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