Why Was Flappy Bird Game Removed From App Store?

Plappy Bird Pulled from the Market at Height of Popularity

Fans of the widely popular game Flappy Bird were surprised Saturday when creator Dong Nguyen stated he would be pulling the app from the Android and iOS marketplaces on Sunday. The game has been bringing in an alleged $50,000 per day from in-app advertising. Nguyen’s decision to pull the game is, according to him, due to the negative repercussions the popularity of the game has brought to his personal life.

He has stated it has “ruined” his “simple life.” While many are taking Nguyen’s explanation as sincere, some are questioning his motives. Since Flappy Bird has drawn criticisms due to its likeness to Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros and smaller game Piou Piou, many are speculating this move is designed to avoid litigation. Nguyen denied this claim when stating, “It is not anything related to legal issues. I just cannot keep it anymore.”

“I cannot take this any more,” he wrote in a plaintive tweet on Saturday. “I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird down.” Sure enough, by Sunday evening it was no longer available. This is all the more amazing when you think that the game was, by some accounts, bringing in £30,000 a day. He must have felt really bad.

Nguyen remained true to his word, removing the app on Sunday. This doesn’t mean the cash cow is dead. An increase in game reviews in the thousands happened between Saturday’s announcement and Sunday’s removal. This is indicative of an increase in downloads. In-app advertising will continue to bring in revenue.

Ironically, this misguided attempt at lessening the attention placed on himself has launched Nguyen into a heightened level of popularity. This should bode well for sales of his other apps still available in the marketplace.

Here’s a great instructional video on how to cheat a flappy birds.

On The Web:
‘Flappy Bird’ Creator Says He’s Taking The Game Down
http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2014/02/08/flappy-bird-creator-says-hes-taking-the-game-down/