News

Flappy Bird Might Come Back... With A Warning

by Jenny Hollander

Earlier this year, beloved app Flappy Bird was abruptly seized from the App Store. Now, after a great deal of hemming and hawing about the ethical implications of making a game that addictive available for public consumption, creator Dong Nguyen is close to bringing it back! OK, sort of: Nguyen told Rolling Stone that he's "considering" returning Flappy Bird to the App Store — and if he does, it'll come with a warning. "Take a break," it'll read.

Following the swift rise of Flappy Bird, the Vietnam-based creator was struck down by the pressure. According to Rolling Stone, paparazzi were camped outside his parents' home; people compared Flappy Bird to crack cocaine, and blamed Nguyen for imposing it on the masses; he heard of families who weren't talking to one another because they were so busy playing the game.

Miserable, Nguyen pulled the game from the App Store, which sparked a whole backlash of its own. Game-players were split into two camps: Those who had downloaded Flappy Bird in time, and those who hadn't. Some reports noted that phones with Flappy Bird installed were selling on eBay for thousands of dollars.

"I can't go back to my life before," Nguyen told Rolling Stone, "but I'm good now." He isn't in the process of developing a new Flappy Bird app, but he is considering a revival — complete with a warning, of course.

In the meantime? We'll always have Vladibird.

Images: PC Mag, VladiBird