Flappy Bird Will Return To Mobile In August With Multiplayer Element
One of the more bizarre stories in the history of gaming has yet to write an ending. We're talking about the rapid rise and intentional decline of Flappy Bird, a stupidly simple game that at its peak was raking in more than $50,000 per day through in-game ads. After gaining attention in the media, the game's developer, a soft-spoken 28-year-old who lives with his parents in Hanoi, Vietnam, pulled the game offline last February. Now he's planning to bring it back this summer, with a twist.
According to comments Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen told CNBC, Flappy Bird will return to app stores in August. This time around, it will have a multiplayer mode and be less addictive. The reason Nguyen said he removed the game in the first place is because of angry messages and emails he would receive from parents and teachers claiming that they and their kids were becoming addicted to Flappy Bird and not focusing on the things that matter.
In other words, guilt trumped the $50,000 per day he was making from the game, or so the story goes. Conspiracy theorists (or just plain skeptics) could chalk this up to brilliant marketing, as Flappy Bird's return tour is likely to generate quite a bit of initial buzz.
Nguyen didn't explain how he plans to make the game less addicting. There's really not much to the game play -- you tap the screen to keep your bird airborne as you navigate it through a series of pipes, scoring a point each time you're successful. Tapping is the only control scheme.
In addition to another Flappy Bird title, Nguyen said he's working on other apps, one of which features building leaping.
According to comments Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen told CNBC, Flappy Bird will return to app stores in August. This time around, it will have a multiplayer mode and be less addictive. The reason Nguyen said he removed the game in the first place is because of angry messages and emails he would receive from parents and teachers claiming that they and their kids were becoming addicted to Flappy Bird and not focusing on the things that matter.
In other words, guilt trumped the $50,000 per day he was making from the game, or so the story goes. Conspiracy theorists (or just plain skeptics) could chalk this up to brilliant marketing, as Flappy Bird's return tour is likely to generate quite a bit of initial buzz.
Nguyen didn't explain how he plans to make the game less addicting. There's really not much to the game play -- you tap the screen to keep your bird airborne as you navigate it through a series of pipes, scoring a point each time you're successful. Tapping is the only control scheme.
In addition to another Flappy Bird title, Nguyen said he's working on other apps, one of which features building leaping.
