

The infectious trend of Flappy Bird has been contained by the seemingly bizarre decision of its developer to remove it from both Android and iOS app stores.
On Saturday, Dong Nguyen, the creator of the frustratingly addictive avian-centric game, announced on Twitter he’ll take down the game, not because of legal issues, but because he was overwhelmed with the success the game achieved.
I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down. I cannot take this anymore.
— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014
In a series of tweets, Nguyen stated that even though he’s effectively killing the game by making it un-downloadable, it’s definitely not for sale, so interested parties should just stop asking about.
If you’re not familiar with Flappy Bird, it shot to fame in the last couple of weeks, becoming the top free app available on both iOS and Android. The objective is simple, keep the bird flying through the air by tapping on the screen, guiding it past Super Mario-style obstacles.
The game seems really easy at first glance, but once you play it, you’ll find that it’s completely the opposite. It’s incredibly difficult to keep that irritating little bird from banging into obstacles. But though Flappy Bird is an extremely frustrating game, many cannot delete the app for the simple reason that they do not want to admit that they’ve been beaten by such a ‘simple’ game. So they keep playing in the hopes of getting through more obstacles, and the false belief that they are getting good at it.
Numerous reviewers have lambasted Nguyen for creating such a frustrating game, but he pays no attention to them. For him, the game is a success, especially when it rakes in $50,000 in advertising cash everyday. But sometimes, success can be all too overwhelming…
I can call ‘Flappy Bird’ is a success of mine. But it also ruins my simple life. So now I hate it.
— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014
Though Nguyen stated that the take down isn’t because of legal reasons, lingering suspicions remain. After all, $50,000 a day is a lot of money to turn your nose up at, no matter who you are, and it’s quite obvious that Flappy Bird uses elements taken from well known games like Super Mario Brothers and Helicopter.
Those who have already downloaded Flappy Bird will be unaffected by Dong Nguyen’s decision to remove the app and can still play the game, but for everyone else, the app is now impossible to download. Still, you can always play this version on your desktop, but don’t go blaming us if you end up battering the hell out keyboard in frustration.
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