Comebacks in gaming are nothing new in the industry, but last week’s announcement about the return of Flappy Bird caught some people by surprise. The game was a huge hit on app stores after its release in 2013, but the game’s creator Dong Nguyen had it abruptly removed in 2014. Now, after several years of silence on social media, Nguyen has addressed the return of his signature game.
Nguyen’s message didn’t waste any time. He denied any involvement with the new game and said he didn’t sell the original Flappy Bird. Nguyen also denounced crypto, which appears to be a reference to Michael Roberts, the chief creative behind the company, Flappy Bird Foundation, that is bringing the game back. Roberts’ 1208 Productions has worked extensively with NFTs and crypto, both of which may be incorporated into the new Flappy Bird.
No, I have no related with their game. I did not sell anything.
I also don’t support crypto.— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) September 15, 2024
Via IGN, Roberts purchased the rights to Flappy Bird from a company called Gametech Holdings LLC. Gametech had nothing to do with the creation of Flappy Bird, but it contested Nguyen’s original patent for the game with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Gametech argued that Nguyen had abandoned the patent, and the USPTO terminated his claim when he failed to respond to notices about it.
That may be legal, but it also cut the creator of Flappy Bird off from his own creation with little recourse to do anything about it. The vast majority of fans may not even realize that Flappy Bird Foundation has nothing to do with Nguyen. That company’s new version of Flappy Bird will reportedly be released later this year on multiple platforms.
