Flappy Bird Creator Reveals Why He Pulled the App, 'Considering' Returning Flappy Bird to App Store

[TouchMint.com]

If you make a game that isn't addictive you are doing it wrong.

As for returning to the store I hate to say it but the clones have surpassed what he will ever be able to do with his own game. There are whole teams working on them and they have been at work for a while.

 

[TsunamiTheClown]

Mayor Rob Ford admits to trying Flappy Bird during a drunken stupor.

D.

Bazinga! This is too much.

 

[SpinThis!]

Everyone is looking at this very cynically. Sounds like the guy was honestly bothered by how it was affecting others and himself. Hats off to him.

Yes, exactly. I believe his story for a couple reasons:

* Vietnam has a different culture than capitalist-centric US and other countries

* He's pretty green as a developer. His first big game is a giant success but you're getting death threats. Morally, I don't think most of us can even walk in his shoes until it actually happens to us. If he's "wising up" that's his decision as a developer.

I actually think it's a little bit of jealousy. I know at least for me I feel like I'm working my ass off and not really getting ahead. When I hear about someone who stumbles into a fortune and then pisses it away, I can't help but feel like "why can't this happen to me." It might be wrong to be mad at him, but I can understand how people who are struggling to pay bills would be critical of someone who walked away from money.

Yes, this is not all that uncommon. Look at lottery winners. Or even famous athletes. A lot of them piss away their fortunes because psychologically they need to get back to poverty. It sounds strange but having to deal with a bunch of other problems takes a whole other skill set that some people aren't simply prepared to handle.

 

[eggersj]

Best part about this article is his name is still DONG

His dad's like... Man!! My dong is making all kinds of money!!!!

 

[Rocco83]

Good for him. The money he is making by having his game on quite possibly the most reliable phone is going to enable him to by one of the most unreliable cars.

 

[SgtPepper12]

MONEY MONEY MONEY I LOVE MONEY WHY DOESN'T HE LOVE HIS MONEY IT'S BLASPHEMY

Jesus Christ, get yourself together. It's his money, his decision. Not the whole world is so incredibly convinced that money is everything, America.

 

[Michael Goff]

I bet 80% of the people here who are bashing him just secretly wish they had been lucky enough to have an app that wildly popular.

 

[HowEver]

The article says that he is still making money from the app, even though it is no longer for sale? How? Merchandising?

 

[576316]

Essentially he gets to sit back and watch his bank account go up by $50,000 everyday and not have an app to update, maintain or support. Sounds like the perfect life!


I joke, hopefully he brings it back to the App Store. Maybe advertisement free?

 

[Michael Goff]

The article says that he is still making money from the app, even though it is no longer for sale? How? Merchandising?

Ad money. Since people are still playing it, they're still seeing ads. Since they're still seeing the ad, he still gets paid for it.

 

[chrmjenkins]

This is a horrendous comparison.

It was intentional.

 

[earthlingdave]

Good for him...

You know, I'm happy for this kid because I'm not a bitter ******* who takes himself and the world too seriously, who's threatened by the success of others and has zero sense of humor.

 

[Zellio]

This guy is an attention whore and a buffoon. If he did this out of fear of people getting addicted, where people have to take care of themselves, plus the void added tons of flappy bird clones. If he did this to get media attention, well he dropped his ability to earn 50,000 a day, as well as created a void THAT HAS BEEN FILLED WITH FLAPPY BIRD CLONES, which makes his comeback useless.

Either way it goes, he sacrificed $50,000 a day, as well as created a void for other developers to fill, so his return wouldn't have much meaning to anyone.

 

[mj1108]

I bet 80% of the people here who are bashing him just secretly wish they had been lucky enough to have an app that wildly popular.

No.

More like 100%.

The article says that he is still making money from the app, even though it is no longer for sale? How? Merchandising?

People who have it downloaded still play it and the ads still appear. Android users can just grab the apk, install it and play.

 

[vega07]

So much cynicism and jealousy in here!

 

[LagunaSol]

It's only destructive if one isn't mature enough to handle it.

Which many people aren't, regardless of their age.

http://voices.yahoo.com/winning-lottery-curse-blessing-91022.html

 

[sransari]

Great call marketing it as something that is as addictive as crack. Ppl are definitely going to want to get their hands on it now (not sarcasm)

 

[jonnysods]

People need help if they can get hooked that easy.

Having said that I can't put games on my phone anymore - especially tower defence games!

 

[MisterK]

The cynicism in this thread just shows the type of jerks this guy had to deal with constantly after just making a hit game. Of course he misses the money and of course all the negative attention freaked him out.

I think a person's reaction to this story is a good litmus test of being a sociopath. If you can't empathize with this guy's story – even if you would have handled it differently – there is something wrong with you emotionally.

The saddest part from all this is that people aren't taking lessons from this game's success. It's not a "fluke" or a crap game. He had a very simple game with a perfect touch mechanic that could be consumed in bite size pieces, that was just the right difficulty to keep people wanting to get further... no huge budget... no gimmicks... no convoluted gameplay... no "social hooks" (built-in for social networks anyway). This is a very well executed twitch game that was built the way games should be built – on the back of a fun prototype.

Not every game should be built this way, of course, but there are lessons to be learned. It would also go a long way to show humanity... sometimes you're not being a discerning skeptic. Sometimes you're just being a dick.

 

[Mike MA]

Next, please.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Which many people aren't, regardless of their age.

http://voices.yahoo.com/winning-lottery-curse-blessing-91022.html

Age and emotional maturity are entirely separate but it would make for a boring article to read about people who managed their money responsibly. You should expand your research.

Also the Flappy Bird dev earned his money through his own hard work & entrepreneurship, not the lottery. Where is the article on wayward devs as a generalized class?

 

[ohbrilliance]

I'm assuming that by the time he gets the app back on the store that he's bought him and his family a new place in a gated community so that he can avoid most of the media interest. I can see how he felt bad about people abusing the game. A solid warning should alleviate his concerns about that.

 

[iPhD]

Just when you thought it was safe to check in at MacRumors again ….

This story is like a zombie:
"But I was done talking about that."
"But it's back."
"But I was done talking about that."
"But it's back."
"But I was done talking about that."
"But it's back."
"But I was done talking about that."
"But it's back."
"But I was done talking about that."
"But it's back."

 

[JerryCards]

It is a simple game, but, very original. It make me think that those fancy stuff in other games may not be necessary.

Original idea is hard to get.

 

[LagunaSol]

You should expand your research.

We all know (or know of) people who were ruined by wealth. It doesn't require a master's thesis to point out.

Also the Flappy Bird dev earned his money through his own hard work & entrepreneurship, not the lottery.

So why should he have to justify his reasoning for abandoning the huge paychecks and media exposure? If he thought the situation was going to have a negative impact on his lifestyle, his family, his friendships, I say good for him for turning away - even if only temporarily to get his mind straight. It's a gutsy move that should be admired, not scorned.