Flappy Bird Taken Down: Developer to Discontinue Game for Unknown Reason
The wildly popular and successful Flappy Bird mobile game will no longer be available for iOS and Android devices by the end of the day.
The game's developer Dong Nguyen took to Twitter yesterday afternoon to announce his decision to stop offering it in online stores for unspecified reasons.
"I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down. I cannot take this anymore," tweeted Nguyen. "It is not anything related to legal issues. I just cannot keep it anymore. I also don't sell 'Flappy Bird' please don't ask."
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Some users are assuming that one reason for him taking the game down could be its graphics and level design which are strikingly similar to Nintendo's Super Mario Bros series as the established company could have sent out a cease and desist order.
Kotaku reported that the massive surge in media attention over the game could have driven Nguyen to this decision. He stopped talking to the press recently and stopped responding to inquires from the media.
Flappy Bird generates $50,000 per day in ad revenue, according to recent to the game's creator.
Nguyen reported to The Verge that the money generated from in-app ads equates to that impressive number. Flappy Bird has been downloaded 50 million times since it launched for iOS last September and Android last month.
The game consists of navigating a bird through a maze of pipes by tapping on the screen. The levels resemble Super Mario Bros. as the pipes seem very similar to those found in Nintendo's game. The objective is to get a high score by getting the bird through as many pipes as possible. Once the bird touches something the game is over, and it will restart.
