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'Flappy Bird' Removed from App Store by Developer

This was a game? I thought it was just an advertising app that tricked you into tapping on ads.

Whenever I think about apps like this, I think of the Star Trek: TNG episode where everyone was hooked on a new game, but the developer of that game actually created it for more sinister reasons.

I also think there was something similar in a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode.
 
...

Keep raking in money, get someone to deal with the press FOR YOU.

And if all the money is the problem? Give it to charity.
 
ruimpinho said:
Well, anyway. Success is not for everybody.
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Success. . . For some, a quiet, peaceful and uncomplicated life is the mark of success.

I always raise an eyebrow at the very busy who celebrate that they have found 1 evening of time that they get to relax and not run errands, kids, visit, entertain etc.

I think people could benefit from slowing down a bit. Chase money just a bit less. Smell the roses.

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Chumburro2U said:
I just downloaded this app like 15 minutes ago after all of the hoopla. What happens now if you delete this app from your phone?
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Sync it to a computer and you'll have it safely stored there. You'll be able to remove and add it back using iTunes.

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Revearti said:
I guess I'll make Flappy Birdies to make that money.
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Sorry, patented. You can't use flap, flappy, birds, bird or birdies ever again, in any app ever! :rolleyes:

Maybe you could call it Candie Birds. . Oh wait, nevermind. :(

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Z400Racer37 said:
Honestly, you're not missing anything. Though why anyone would turn down 50k/day is beyond me...
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Someone who thinks peace and quiet > $$

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garylapointe said:
There has got to be more to the story. You just don't give this up for no reason than some stress of reporters calling and excess cash flow. He had to make no effort to maintain it (it was done and got popular and the social aspect were making his other apps get tried out). It didn't sound like some side project continually needing maintenance.

Another few weeks of the crazy popularity and we're talking early retirement.

Yes, he'll continue to make some money from the ads, but with his apps being number one you've got new people trying it, many of those ad views were going to be first time viewers (who give up after a few plays), now he's only getting views from old players.

If nothing else, he could have taken the future income and donated it.

Again, I don't know the whole story...

Gary
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YOU don't give up money for no reason. For many others, money is very far from the goal of their life or the measure of their success.

Try to not get stuck in seeing the world through only your eyes. Different people, different values, different goals in life.
 
cmwade77 said:
Really, I would love to make $50,000 a day! Seriously, that's about 1.8 million if that kept up for a year.

So, really, I would think that there's something more to this story.
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Every iphone on ios 7 now comes with a free built in calculator... I think your math is a little off....
 
Why all the hype over $50k/day VND???

The developer has said so himself, why all the hype??? $50k/day in Vietnamese dollars is not much money. If he were making $50k/day USD yeah sure I can understand the hype, but he would need 5 BILLION ad impressions per day for that. He has only had 50 million downloads, and a lot of those have not even played it more than once. I would have done the same as him, took the thing down, all that attention and spam is not worth $50k/day VND.
 
Organized Crime Pressure

I get the sense there is more going on in his life that he has said. I can't help but wonder if he has discovered his life is like one of those lottery millionaires who find they can't handle the pressure.

I'm sure word got out in his family and community that he had a hit on his hands. The $50k a week may or may not be true. If true, in Vietnam, that is a LOT of money. Even a rumor of it would certainly be enough to bring out every deadbeat in his extended family hitting him up for "loans" or grants.

He also lives in an officially communist country. I'm sure the government there is keenly interested in taxing most, if not all, of any earnings he does manage to get his hands on.

And worse, which is what I suspect, is that organized crime has gotten wind and made him an offer he can't refuse. "That's a very nice family you got there. It would be a shame is something terrible should happen to them."
 
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flappy dong said:
The developer has said so himself, why all the hype??? $50k/day in Vietnamese dollars is not much money. If he were making $50k/day USD yeah sure I can understand the hype, but he would need 5 BILLION ad impressions per day for that. He has only had 50 million downloads, and a lot of those have not even played it more than once. I would have done the same as him, took the thing down, all that attention and spam is not worth $50k/day VND.
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He was earning $50k a day US dollars, when you consider the average monthly salary for someone in Vietnam is only equivalent to less than $200 USD then it is a large amount.
 
bigchrisfgb said:
He was earning $50k a day US dollars, when you consider the average monthly salary for someone in Vietnam is only equivalent to less than $200 USD then it is a large amount.
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where does it say he was making $50k/day in US dollars? The quote directly from the developer himself said he was making $50k/day. He's Vietnamese, so I'd doubt he'd be referring to USD.
 
ruimpinho said:
Well, anyway. Success is not for everybody.
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That is very true. The unfortunate thing here is that this guy could have brought millions into his country. There are places in this world where a little money can help a lot.
 
Downloaded it and told my gf to do the same, by the time she tried, it was gone.

I gave her mine to try, just so I could see her intial reaction to it and see how long she played from the first go. 30mins straight. I think her record is now 11.

Mine is 25. :)
 
wizard said:
That is very true. The unfortunate thing here is that this guy could have brought millions into his country. There are places in this world where a little money can help a lot.
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I for one wish it were that simple. I spend my life working with poverty-stricken people, often in places where millions and millions of dollars in outside money pour into the country. The problem of poverty is one that is much deeper than simply having money.

As for the game, I actually find the whole thing comical. I say hurray nguyen! If he's content bringing down the game, then good on him. He developed it, made his money, and brought it down. Maybe he resurrects it; maybe not. It's his baby and his call. There are hundreds of thousands of games out there to be downloaded, and to see one game that is voluntarily terminated by the developer create this much angst among people who play simply leaves me
mathews_laughing.gif
!
 
I can't believe I've signed-up to this forum just to weigh in on this story.

I am amazed by the negativity directed at this guy, and appalled this is how society treats such a person.
We hate when greedy politicians and money-grabbing bankers take more money than they deserve, but we also hate when a person doesn't take enough.

I am aware of the theories behind his decision, but assuming its as clear as it seems.
In a world where money can make people do many questionable and sometimes uncharacteristic things,
We have a guy who has turned down the opportunity for even more earnings because he seems to hold something higher than cash.
Money alone is probably not his idea of a comfortable life.

Amongst the haters camp, the general verdict of him is that he is a stupid puss unable to take the heat of the recognition, but I say what he did is admirable. It takes balls to walk away from silly money like that. I question if I could do the same (No). (don't get me wrong, I do also acknowledge the many legit reasons why we all need money, i.e.- family)

Yes, it probably wasn't necessary for him to take the game down,
but lets be honest, the hate was never really about the game, its mainly about the money. Are we hating because we can't/wouldn't turn down money like him? perhaps he now has more than enough for him and his family.

I would like to believe that he feels he has earned what the game deserves and not worth the uncomfortable attention to earn anymore. After all, its not like its a totally brand new game mechanic.

Wouldn't the gaming world be a nicer place if a few more companies valued things like quality of content and service even just a little bit higher than money? look at the devs of the Camera+ app, I feel they do way more than the 99 cents demands.

What I am saying here is that its nice to see its not just about money for some people in this world.
They are the people that make this world a classier place, lets give these people a break.
 
$50,000 per DAY?

That's a gross income of $18.25 Million per year.

But yeah, why would he want that. Totally not worth having to hear about the game you made on Twitter.
 
asdf072 said:
If he left it up, the hype would have died in a few weeks, anyway. He's probably earned 90% of all the money it would have ever made.
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When I realized that he is from Vietnam (a communist country) it leaves one wondering how much if any of his profits he was really able to keep. I know the man that developed Tetris under communist Russia never saw a penny. I am not familiar with how it works over there so it's pretty difficult to say. If the government is taking the lions share or all of the profits it's kind of difficult to see his incentive to keep the game up at all.
 
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gregwyattjr said:
I feel for the guy. Sometimes sanity is more important than money.
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I'm not fully understanding why creating a popular game would make someone insane. Is he getting bombarded with paparazzi and insane fans? If so, then maybe I see the point, but if not, then what the heck? The ad revenue is going to go somewhere, and if I were him, I'd be thrilled to collect as much as I could and donate as much as possible to a truly needy cause.
 
Flood123 said:
When I realized that he is from Vietnam (a communist country) it leaves one wondering how much if any of his profits he was really able to keep. I know the man that developed Tetris under communist Russia never saw a penny. I am not familiar with how it works over there so it's pretty difficult to say. If the government is taking the lions share it's kind of difficult to see his incentive to keep the game up at all.
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Hmm, good point. Didn't think of that. If he's getting little personal profit, then yea, no point in dealing with whatever he has to deal with for nothin.
 
flappy dong said:
where does it say he was making $50k/day in US dollars? The quote directly from the developer himself said he was making $50k/day. He's Vietnamese, so I'd doubt he'd be referring to USD.
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so what you are implying is that he makes 50k VND a day? Apparently you have no idea how high-cost the economy is now.

that amounts to only $2.35 USD a day, and considering the economy in vietnam right now, prices has skyrocketed. That is barely anything in vietnam now
 
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