Flappy Bird is 'gone forever': Game creator pulled app because it is 'an addictive product' So if you still got it! You are the bomb

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Imitations of Flappy Bird – the free gaming app that took the world by storm – might be popping up everywhere, but the original game is ‘gone forever,’ according to its creator.
Nguyen Ha Dong, the developer who pulled his highly successful and profitable app over the weekend, revealed he did so because he thinks it was too addictive.
The Vietnamese Hanoi-based developer is believed to have walked away from a small fortune as it is estimated he could have made $50,000 every day in in-app advertising alone.

Gone forever: Flappy Bird, a simple game that became a surprise hit was the most popular mobile game on the App Store before it was pulled unexpectedly by its developer

THE FLAPPY BIRD PHENOMENON

Flappy Bird caused a sensation after rising out of obscurity to become one of the most downloaded mobile games on both Apple and Google's online stores.
Users have to steer a bird between green pipes.
The Android version has been downloaded up to 50 million times, and attracted more than half a million reviews.
It also topped the Apple download charts, although figures have not been released for the iOS version.

He told Forbes that he created the app - which saw players tapping on their smartphone screen to navigate a pixelated birds though narrow pipes - to be played in a few minutes, in his first interview since he took his game away.



‘It happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem,’ he said.
‘To solve that problem, it’s best to take down Flappy Bird. It’s gone forever.’
Flappy Bird was the most popular free mobile game on Apple App Store and Google's Android Play store.
The exclusive interview took place in a secret location in Vietnam, perhaps because Dong has received death threats for pulling the app.

Nguyen Ha Dong, (pictured) the creator of the game, pulled his creation from online stores because he thinks it is too addictive, he told Forbes. He has previously said that the runaway success had ruined his 'simple life'

The 29-year old has been thrust into the spotlight since the app became incredibly popular - and now obsolete - and has even been summoned by the country’s deputy Prime Minister.
Dong’s parents only learned of his involvement with the hit app last week, despite the fact the game has been growing in popularity since it was released on May 24, 2013.
He coded it in just a couple of days but claims he pulled it for altruistic reasons – rather than a threat from Nintendo about the similarity of the app’s pipes to those in the legendary Super Mario games.
Dong currently has two other apps in the top 20 gaming slots of Apple’s App Store but says that he has no plans to remove them as they are ‘harmless.’

What's all the fuss about? Check out Flappy Bird

Removal: Dong made the sudden announcement on Tiwtter at the weekend but he didn't explain in any detail why he decided to take down his popular game

He told Forbes that his decision to remove the app was difficult but that his life was not as good as it was before the incredible success of the game.
‘I don’t think it’s a mistake - I have thought it through,’ he said.
This is despite Dong receiving a barrage of death threats on Twitter.
It appears that fans of the game are willing to go to extremes to keep on playing and phones preloaded with the hit have been listed for as much as $20,000 on eBay.

Addictive: Dong said he created the game in just a couple of days. Players had to guide birds between green tubes, reminiscent of those seen in Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. games

Dong announced the grounding of the addictive game in a Tweet at 1900 GMT on Saturday in which he also apologised to Flappy Bird players.
'22 hours from now, I will take "Flappy Bird" down,' Dong said adding: 'It is not anything related to legal issues.'
'I cannot take this anymore,' he wrote.
The move led to a barrage of abuse, including one tweeter who messaged: ‘YOU BEST NOT BE DELETING FLAPPY BIRD BECAUSE I WILL MURDER YOU IF U DO,’ while another told Dong ‘I’ll find you and I’ll kill you.’

The end: Rumours were ride that Dong removed the game because of a legal threat from Nintendo as well as he had a plan to sell it to a game development company. However, the app developer claims he did so for altruistic reasons

If you missed your chance to download the mobile sensation Flappy Bird, don't worry - but be prepared to a pay a lot. Phones preloaded with the game are being listed for up to $20,000 on eBay