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'Flappy Bird' creator returns with another infuriating game
While game companies are spending millions developing and marketing addictive mobile games, every once in a while an indie hit appears out of nowhere and captures the public's imagination. In 2013, that game was Flappy Bird, a notoriously difficult endless runner-style game that thrust its Vietnamese creator, Dong Nguyen, into an unwanted spotlight. Nguyen ended up pulling the game from Apple and Google's app stores a few months later (despite making a ton of money), because it had become an "addictive product" that was causing him and its players issues. It also allowed him to focus on making more games. With seven titles now behind him, including Swing Copters, Nguyen is back with a new game called Ninja Spinki Challenges!! -- and it's every bit as difficult as you'd expect.
Spin-jump your way to 'Flappy Bird' in 'Super Mario World'
To date, we've seen the infamous Flappy Bird show up either cloned or otherwise in roughly 853 different places. That's a slight exaggeration, but you probably weren't expecting to find it in a game that's rapidly approaching 30 years in age. YouTube user "SethBling" says that by executing a glitch on a standard Super NES with no modifications, he was able to trick the game into letting him upload code for the airborne fowl's namesake game into Super Mario World. Your homage in Super Mario Maker just got even less impressive.
Flappy Bird arcade cabinet will empty your wallet in record time
Think that Flappy Bird is already supremely aggravating to play? Try flying between those pipes when there's money on the line. Bay Tek Games has unveiled an arcade version of the game that promises to be the most masochistic cabinet ever... and we've seen quite a few. It's largely the same tough-to-control title you've come to know and love/hate, just blown up to the size of a 42-inch display. In other words, you'll likely spend more time feeding cash into this machine than you will mashing its one and only game button. We could see it being fun if you're an expert (or just need to get rid of a lot of money in a hurry), but you're probably better off playing this stand-up Flappy Bird system in very, very short bursts.
Yo and the app hype machine
Yo is a notifications app where all it does is send the word "Yo" to your friends. That's it. Just "Yo." Of course, silly single-purpose apps like these are a dime a dozen -- remember those fart apps of old? -- but the thing that sets Yo apart is that it's actually attracted a whole lot of attention. More than a million dollars' worth, in fact. Yep, this seemingly frivolous app has recently raised around $1.5 million in funding, giving it a valuation close to $10 million. It's also apparently been downloaded more than 2 million times since its tongue-in-cheek April Fools' Day debut. Crazy? Well, yes, perhaps. But it's not entirely unusual. In case you need a refresher (and probably a laugh or two), here's a look at some of the more overhyped apps in the past few years. Have any other ideas? Leave a comment and let us know of any apps we've missed.
Flappy Bird is coming back as a 'less addictive' multiplayer game in August
If you got hooked on Flappy Bird just in time for the game to be pulled, you're in luck. Creator Dong Nguyen told CNBC today that he'll put the title back in the App Store in August. When it does return though, it's said to be less addictive thanks to a new multiplayer mode. And there are entirely new games modes too, including one that features a man hopping from building to building. No word on how Nguyen plans to keep folks from getting hooked on those just yet.
Flappy Bird's coming back, but you probably don't care
This is the digital age of ADD, people, so let's be real about one thing: most of you probably don't care about the disappearance of Flappy Bird anymore, nor the fact that it's coming back. But for those of you that do still wish to tap that bird's flapping wings once more past Nintendo-ish green pipes, there's a ray of light ahead. Turns out, creator Dong Nguyen wants to see his mobile game return to the iOS and Android platforms that sent buckets of cash and internet vitriol his quiet way. Nguyen tweeted the news out, but didn't indicate when Flappy Bird would return as a downloadable free-to-play game on the App Store, saying only that it wouldn't be anytime soon. Which is even more reason to believe that when it does comeback for a second act, most of you will have moved on to some other fad or meme, or dogecoin-branded dating sim. The Horror! [Image credit: Getty]
Flappy Bird creator 'considering' bringing the game back
Admit it, you played Flappy Bird. And for a brief period of time, you may have even liked the incredibly addictive game. After millions of people downloaded the viral hit, however, creator Dong Nguyen decided enough was enough -- it was time to pull the plug, making it unavailable in the iOS and Android app markets. But never say never again: Nguyen revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone that there is still at least a sliver of a chance that the extremely simple game will return in a blaze of avian glory. "I'm considering it," said Nguyen when asked if it would ever be offered again, so take that with a grain of salt; we'll believe it when we see it. In the meantime, we bet Android users can still download an APK somewhere, and iPhone fans can always check eBay to see if somebody's selling their phone with the game on it. As for why Nguyen pulled the app, he mentioned that the game's massive success was crushing and weighing him down, and it threatened his simple life: "I'm a master of my own fate," he said, "[an] independent thinker."
Flappy Bird's creator says he pulled the app for your own good
If you were hoping Flappy Bird would find its wings and fly back onto the App Store or Google Play, its creator has some tough news for you. Less than 48 hours after he pulled the explosively popular game, developer Dong Nguyen briefly emerged from his self-imposed exile to talk to Forbes about why that little bird will flap no more. According to Nguyen, the game was designed to help people relax, let players blow off some steam when they had a spare few minutes. Instead, Flappy Bird became an "addictive product" that was causing him, and its players, issues. Nguyen became the subject of intense media scrutiny, while players became enraged by their tragically low scores. "To solve that problem, it's best to take down Flappy Bird. It's gone forever," he told Forbes, shortly after he'd had an impromptu sit down with Vietnam's deputy prime minister. Since it disappeared, owners of the app have put their phones and tablets up for bidding on eBay, with prices reaching $1,000 for an iPhone with the app pre-installed. Despite its popularity, and reports that Flappy Bird was reportedly making $50,000 a day in ad revenue, Nguyen says he has no regrets: "I don't think it's a mistake," he said. "I have thought it through." If you didn't manage to grab the app before it was pulled, there's no shortage of Flappy clones on the App Store or Google Play -- just in case you need a Flappy Angry Bird fix.
Flappy Bird no longer available from the App Store or Google Play
Oh no! We sure hope you were able to download Flappy Bird before its imminent extinction. Because, as promised, developer Dong Nguyen has officially removed the insanely popular game from both the App Store and Google Play. There's no need to shed tears if you've already installed it, since you can still play it and continue to frustrate over how terribly low your scores are. Even so, it's a little sad to see Flappy Bird go -- especially given that there are probably some people (like this editor's mom) who never got to experience it. Who knows, maybe it'll make a triumphant comeback one day.
Flappy Bird faces imminent extinction
Flappy Bird went from obscurity to chart-topping success overnight, but that's all coming to an end. After over 50 million downloads, developer Dong Nguyen said on Twitter that he's going to take the incredibly tough game down tomorrow... and probably not for the reasons you'd expect. It's not because of any legal pressure. It's not because he sold for some hefty sum. It's not even because he's tired of making games. Nguyen said Flappy Bird will cease to be simply because he just "cannot take this anymore". What exactly he means by that is unclear, but going off an earlier tweet it looks like Nguyen has grown weary of all the attention he's been getting lately. Who could blame him for shunning the spotlight? He created the app in just a few days in 2013 and it languished before exploding in popularity a few weeks back.