A group calling themselves “The Devoted Fans of Flappy Bird” has confirmed that they have acquired the rights to the game and are rapidly developing a new version for both Android and iOS. This comeback promises to feature several exciting new game modes, bringing back the addictive feel of the original.
According to IGN, the rights to Flappy Bird are now owned by Gametech, a relatively unknown company. Although the connection between Gametech and Nguyễn Hà Đông, the original creator of Flappy Bird, remains unclear, they have successfully secured a deal with the developer of Piou Piou vs. Cactus, a game with similar gameplay that had previously been involved in a copyright dispute with Flappy Bird.
Kek, the developer of Piou Piou vs. Cactus, expressed his enthusiasm: “It’s amazing to see how Piou Piou has inspired so many developers and gamers over the years. Working alongside passionate fans of Flappy Bird has been an exhilarating experience.”
The development group The Flappy Bird Foundation Group has started designing new game modes for Flappy Bird. Notably, however, Nguyễn Hà Đông has been completely absent from all information regarding the project. Although international news outlets have tried to reach out to him, there has been no response. Nguyễn Hà Đông’s social media accounts have remained inactive for a long time. On his personal page, he still states that he’s managing the company that launched Flappy Bird back in 2011.
The website of the new Flappy Bird developers reveals that the upcoming version will feature more diverse game modes, with the addition of several new characters. However, the core gameplay – guiding birds through pipes – will remain unchanged.
After Flappy Bird was removed from app stores in 2014, low-quality clones flooded the market. Many organizations even attempted to buy the rights to the brand. Nguyễn Hà Đông had once considered bringing Flappy Bird back, but Apple’s policies made it difficult, as the game had already been deleted from the App Store, complicating efforts to relaunch it.
At its peak, Flappy Bird became the most downloaded app globally, topping the charts in 100 countries and achieving over 50 million downloads. The Verge estimated that Nguyễn Hà Đông could have been earning around $50,000 per day from ads alone. However, the rapid rise to fame placed immense pressure on him, leading him to remove the game from stores in February 2014. He shared on Twitter (now X): “Flappy Bird might have been my success, but it also ruined my simple life. Now I hate it.”
Afterwards, Nguyễn Hà Đông released several other mobile games, but none of them were able to replicate the success of Flappy Bird.
