10 years ago, the free mobile game Flappy Bird suddenly became a viral hit - and was just as suddenly delisted when its creator began to fear that it was too addictive for its own good. Now, a group calling itself the Flappy Bird Foundation has snatched the rights under some strange circumstances and is bringing it back with a host of new features, some of which might be a little… questionable.
Flappy Bird was the creation of Vietnamese developer Dong Nguyen, who launched the game in May 2013. Shortly after its sudden rise to prominence in early 2014, Nguyen tweeted "I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down. I cannot take this anymore." In a rare interview at the time, Nguyen told Forbes that he'd had sleepless nights following the game's success, feeling guilty about its addictive nature.
"Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed," Nguyen said at the time. "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." That has remained the case since February 10, 2014.
But today, an organization calling itself the Flappy Bird Foundation Group has announced its plans to rerelease Flappy Bird on iOS and Android - alongside a browser version and ports to unannounced platforms - in 2025. This new edition will feature new modes, characters, and some kind of progression system - and for now, we'll just have to keep hoping that 'tap to open' egg thing in the trailer doesn't mean loot boxes.
"The Flappy Bird Foundation Group and affiliates have acquired the official Flappy Bird trademark rights from Gametech Holdings LLC," the new devs say in a press release, "along with the rights for the original game and character Piou Piou vs. Cactus, the mobile title that has long been credited as originally inspiring the iconic bird."
Here the devs are attaching the trademark rights to Gametech Holdings LLC - not Nguyen himself. As Sam Chiet notes on Twitter, it appears that Gametech managed to pick up the Flappy Bird trademark because Nguyen simply… didn't bother to defend it. The rights were then transferred to this Flappy Bird Foundation, and you'd be forgiven for thinking it all looks a bit weird.
You know what would be cool? You doing a quick vid on this thread. @CadeBergmann does this for the weekly @NEARProtocol newsletter and it helps to amplify the message.September 6, 2024
But don't worry: it gets weirder. Back on September 6 - nearly a week before the re-release was announced - the newly christened 'official' Flappy Bird account was out chatting blockchain gaming on Twitter. That doesn't necessarily mean the new Flappy Bird will be a blockchain game in itself, but between that, Nguyen's guilty conscience over the original, and the bizarre circumstances under which the trademark found its new owner, it's tough to feel good about this comeback.
Perhaps it's time to invest in one of the best gaming phones for Flappy Bird's comeback.
