BACK in 2013, an app called “Flappy Bird” came onto the market.
Designed by Dong Nguyen for both iPhone and Android, Flappy Bird is a simple side-scroller game wherein you tap the screen to help a bird avoid getting hit by pipes blocking their way.
Simple enough, and yet, people absolutely lost their minds. In 2013, there was no escape from the game; it was everywhere. Everyone was addicted.
In total, according to the website YourStory, the app garnered 90 million downloads and received USD 50, 000 each day in ad revenue. It was a hit.
Only a year after its release, however, Nguyen pulled it from stores. On his X (formerly Twitter) account, he wrote: “I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down. I cannot take this anymore.”
In a follow-up tweet, he clarified: “It is not anything related to legal issues. I just cannot keep it anymore.”
In an interview with Forbes, Nguyen explained that he’d had many sleepless nights due to the game’s success, as he’d grown guilty about how many people had gotten addicted to the game.
He’d said: “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. To solve that problem, it’s best to take down Flappy Bird. It’s gone forever.”
Even after it was taken down from the app store, however, the Flappy Bird frenzy continued. People started uploading clones of the game online and to the app store, and others even started selling devices with Flappy Bird still on them, retailing for USD 300 to 90, 000.
Last September 12, though, Flappy Bird posted a video on their YouTube page entitled: “FLAPPY BIRD IS BACK!”
The new Flappy Bird will have new skins, levels, and many more surprises to be announced. A web version is expected to arrive in October, while a mobile version will be available next year, 2025.
Despite this, not everyone is happy with its return, especially as there are speculations about it being a cryptocurrency app.
On X, Flappy Bird wrote: “I AM BACK!! Just a decade ago, I was the talk of the town and soaring to new heights with my 100 million friends. Sadly, I had to leave the fame and spotlight behind to go home and find out who I really am.”
Flappy Bird and cryptocurrency
Following the announcement, some people online were skeptical of the new Flappy Bird game.
Guys I think the Flappy Bird revival might be a crypto ponzi scheme https://t.co/9c1ynrFCMh pic.twitter.com/rhDfVIvW0w
— dusk (@dusktodusk94) September 12, 2024
It also seems that Nguyen had no involvement in this revival. Instead, it will have an entirely different team of developers.
After Nguyen, the company that held the trademark for Flappy Bird was Gametech Holdings LLC. As per X user @chorataosc, the game was not made with the permission of the original creator, and Gametech Holdings LLC took the IP trademark after Nguyen didn’t renew it. This was confirmed through documents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
"But why would Nguyen sell the Flappy Bird Trademark??" "Hope he got his bag"
— Samperson (@SamNChiet) September 12, 2024
Looks like he *didn't*.
It seems like it's been long enough that the trademark was considered abandoned, so Gametech Holdings LLC filed against him, and just. Grabbed it for free. pic.twitter.com/EwVzuOLcHm
Varun Biniwale, a web developer and cybersecurity researcher, also published an article on the matter, noting that while news sources report that the game was turned over to a fan group called “The Flappy Bird Foundation,” the game seems too polished for a team of passionate fans committed to sharing the game with the world, as they have labeled themselves to be.
Upon further research, Biniwale found a page on the Flappy Bird Website entitled “Collaborations.” One of the pages under this is “3-$Flap”, which reveals that the new Flappy Bird will actually revolve around cryptocurrency and “Web 3.0″.
This Web 3.0, according to Mobile Tech News Journalist Alan Friedman of Phone Arena, is a new version of the internet that makes use of blockchain technologies, token-based economics, and decentralization. Included in Biniwale’s findings were prototypes for the game that had pages mentioning Web3.0 and cryptowallets among many other things.
Biniwale also found numerous web pages connecting Flappy Bird and a blockchain platform entitled “Solana,” which has a native cryptocurrency of SOL. Many other web pages also make mention of Web3.0 and crypto.
Aside from this, Biniwale also found that the current creators of the game have various crypto projects listed on their websites.
At the end of the day, it’s your choice whether or not you’re going to start playing the game when it’s finally released.
Just note, however, the true nature of the game when you do so.
