Flappy Bird was a mobile game that became a sensation in 2014. The game’s creator, Dong Nguyen, became a household name almost overnight. However, after just a few weeks, Nguyen removed the game from app stores, causing widespread speculation about his motives and what happened to him after the game’s sudden success. In this blog post, we’ll explore what happened to the Flappy Bird creator.
After the game’s meteoric rise, Nguyen began to receive a barrage of criticism and hate mail. Some players accused him of plagiarism, while others criticized the game’s simple graphics and addictive gameplay. Nguyen was also receiving an overwhelming amount of media attention, with many reporters asking him about his sudden success and plans for the future.
In February 2014, Nguyen suddenly announced on Twitter that he would be removing Flappy Bird from app stores, citing the game’s addictive nature and his discomfort with the attention it was receiving. This decision shocked many people, especially since the game was generating an estimated $50,000 per day in advertising revenue.
After removing Flappy Bird from app stores, Nguyen largely retreated from the public eye. He deleted his Twitter account and declined interviews with the media. However, he continued to develop games, releasing several other mobile games, including Super Ball Juggling and Swing Copters.
In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2014, Nguyen explained that he felt overwhelmed by the sudden attention and success of Flappy Bird. He also said that he was concerned about the impact the game was having on players, with many reporting that they were addicted to the game and spending hours playing it.
Despite the controversy surrounding Flappy Bird’s removal from app stores, Nguyen’s decision ultimately proved to be the right one for him. He continued to develop games, and in 2018, he released a game called Ninja Spinki Challenges, which was moderately successful.
Today, Dong Nguyen is still active in the game development industry, although he remains private and largely out of the public eye. The legacy of Flappy Bird lives on, with the game continuing to inspire countless imitators and spawning a subculture of memes and parodies.
In conclusion, Dong Nguyen’s decision to remove Flappy Bird from app stores was a controversial one, but it ultimately allowed him to step back from the spotlight and continue to develop games on his own terms. While the legacy of Flappy Bird will always be a complicated one, it remains a testament to the power of viral success in the digital age.
