Update: Flappy Bird Creator Is Removing The Game From Stores

[Steven Bogos]

Update: Flappy Bird Creator Is Removing The Game From Stores

Developer Dong Nguyen announced via Twitter that the game will be taken off the Apple and Google markets in 22 hours.

Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen has surprisingly announced via Twitter that his game will be taken offline in just 22 hours. "I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users," said Nguyen [https://twitter.com/dongatory/status/432227971173068800], "I cannot take this anymore." He later added that the reasoning for the takedown is "not anything related to legal issues. I just cannot keep it anymore," and that he will continue to make new games.

Flappy Bird [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dotgears.flappybird&hl=en] is the frustratingly difficult iPhone and Android game that quickly, and unexpectedly, shot to the number 1 spot in both the Apple app store and Google's Play store. However, it faced some pretty harsh criticism from the citizens of the internet, both for being a "terrible game" as well as essentially plagiarizing assets from Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. series.

It looks like Nguyen, who reportedly makes up to pretty vile [http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2014/02/06/flappy-bird-makes-50000-a-day-will-nintendo-take-notice/].

Nonetheless, it would have to be pretty harsh comments for him to throw away $50,000 a day, and it's possible that there may be some kind of legal action under the surface that Nguyen can't, or won't, talk about.

What do you think? Have you played Flappy Bird? Is it just a shameless cash-in of Mario assets thrown around a haphazardly built game, or is it the next Angry Birds?

Source: Twitter [https://twitter.com/dongatory]

Update: True to his word, Flappy Bird has now been removed from both the iOS and Google Play stores (though people are reporting that it's still available on Microsoft's Windows Phone store). So there you go, it's now gone forever (unless you're savvy enough to just download the .apk)

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[klaynexas3]

Kinda hard to argue that it's not shamelessly duplicating Mario components, given that even a cursory glance can tell you that it is. While there are obviously tweaks, the bird sprite looks similar to old style Mario enemies, and the pipes are pretty clearly meant to resemble the ones from Mario. While not a direct rip, it's obvious what games he is aiming to emulate.

He's just lucky Nintendo hasn't chosen to come after him, frankly. A little internet vitriol would be the least of his concerns, then.

Not that I'm justifying it, mind. People are dicks, this is the unwritten law of the internet. But I can see why people might be a bit annoyed that this guy is raking in a lot of cash through what could be argued as less than honest means.

The art style is the only thing similar, so it's kind of hard to see it as trying to "emulate" Mario.

Granted, he could have just as easily changed the visual style even just slightly, but even so, I'd hardly call it criminal, just laziness.

 

[Xman490]

Nguyen won't need more money for a long time after getting $500,000 or so from the flooded app userbase in the past weeks. Sure, it's not proportional to the effort he put into making this mish-mash "of Mario assets thrown around a haphazardly built game" designed for touchscreens, but that's how advertising revenue works.

And also he's being honorable about it by stopping it now before it goes out of hand. He seems that way from his tweets.

 

[viranimus]

Hrm.. where can I get an .apk of it before its shut down so I can aggravate my nephew by installing it on his new tablet when it comes in next week?

 

[Kajin]

I doubt he's being honorable about it. Honestly after a lot of crap people having been saying about the game I'd want give up a lot of things to make it stop too.

And also, just because a game borrows the visual aesthetic of another game doesn't make it a ripoff. Do you remember that mario game where you fly a bird through a series of pipes for as long as you can? I don't.

Still, though, it wouldn't hurt the guy to change the pipes to something that DOESN'T look like it was lifted from the mario series. The game itself is why people are playing the crap out of it, not the semblance to mario.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

Honetsly the fact this guy's getting hate from this little tiny game (forgive my French) absolutley fucking digusts me!
This sort of behaviour makes me just want to just ditch the games industry and work in retail where customers are nicer (wrap your head around that for a moment).

The art assets are like from a game that's over a decade old now, seriously fanboys, get a life.

 

[Slash2x]

Ummm I am sorry I thought that read $50k a day.... *reads again* Yep it did..... I would put up with ALOT MORE shit for $50k a day, sorry dude I think someone is threatening to sue you.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Criticism? And here I thought I was just about the only person on the internet who realized it was loaded with artificial difficulty in the form of awful controls, instead of thinking that it was the best game ever. It might be worth mentioning, you know, that it's insanely popular, too.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

I downloaded the game and the first thing that came to my mind wasn't even that the pipes look like Mario pipes (I didn't even notice till now) but the fact that it's the exact same game as the Helicopter Click game that came out WAY back in 2004 on Addictinggames.com, anyone remember that game?

 

[bdeamon]

if i were him, id sell the rights

 

[Ftaghn To You Too]

I can't hold too much sympathy for a guy that took the visual design of Mario and the gameplay of The Helicopter Game and tried to pass it off as his own game. But insults of that level is damn bad. It's good the game is being taken down, but the reasons are awful.

 

[Weaver]

I really think this is a ploy just to get even more eyes on the game in it's 5 minutes of fame.

If he really wanted to just take the game down cause he's so stressed, he would just take it down; not give people a 22 hour window to get the game while it's hot.

Look, I will take 50k a day if it means 50k people tweet me telling me how shit I am. I'll take that job, that's something I can do. Please let me do that job.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Is it just a shameless cash-in of Mario assets thrown around a haphazardly built game, or is it the next Angry Birds?

Yes?

It's absolutely a blatant rip off of what are clearly meant to be Mario assets, even if they aren't exact copies. And it's also a hit game (though clearly not one that pretty much any gamer finds worthy).

The simple fact is that had he made the exact same game but instead opted for an original graphic style, he'd probably be flying free and clear right now even if his wallet would be a little lighter.

Of course, none of the above should be taken as any sort of excuse for the treatment he's received. Sorry guys, but "it's the internet" just isn't ever valid reasoning for being a dick, especially when it's to this level.

 

[Sarge034]

I find it hard to care about this guy getting criticism and hate mail when the game blatantly rips off Mario assets. However, I figure Nintendo IS threatening to sue him and he is under an NDA or something as part of the out of court settlement agreement.

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

I downloaded the game and the first thing that came to my mind wasn't even that the pipes look like Mario pipes (I didn't even notice till now) but the fact that it's the exact same game as the Helicopter Click game that came out WAY back in 2004 on Addictinggames.com, anyone remember that game?

I don't, but it is similar to a Commodore 64 game (whos title I can't remember) game play

 

[Pyrian]

Flappy Bird: Final proof, for those who still needed it, that business success does not necessarily stem from ability.

 

[Signa]

My only issue with the game is that it never changes. I got to 48 pipes, and the game never was any different from the first pipe. I felt by that point that I kinda had mastered it, and it was only a matter of seeing how long I can go without screwing up. Turns out I'm not that pro at it, but it's still a weak design.