A decade after the original Flappy Bird game vanished from app stores, a group calling itself the Flappy Bird Foundation has announced plans to “re-hatch the official Flappy Bird® game.”
Fans were excited by the news of a potential revival, but Dong Nguyen, the original creator of the game, quickly responded with a brief statement on social media. Nguyen made it clear that he is not involved in the new project, writing,”I did not sell anything,” and adding, “I also don’t support crypto.”
The foundation described itself as a group of “passionate fans committed to sharing the game with the world,” and claimed to have “acquired the rights from Gametech Holdings, LLC.” While this suggests the foundation is operating legally, Nguyen’s post confirms his lack of involvement and hints at his displeasure with the new project.
As for Nguyen’s strong opposition to cryptocurrency, there’s no direct mention of crypto in the foundation’s current promotional materials. However, Varun Biniwale, a researcher, uncovered hidden pages on the foundation’s website, which reference Flappy Bird “flying higher than ever on Solana as it soars into Web 3.0.” It remains unclear if this points to future features or if these plans were later abandoned.
Flappy Bird was initially released in 2013 as a simple side-scrolling game with retro graphics. It became a viral sensation and, for a brief period, was the most downloaded app on both iOS and Android platforms. However, in February 2014, Nguyen famously pulled the game from stores, stating, “I cannot take this anymore.”
Despite the game’s popularity, Nguyen’s decision to remove it has since become part of the game’s enduring legacy.