Dong Nguyen, the creator of the popular (and frustrating) game Flappy Bird, has hinted that the game that gave him thousands of dollars in ad revenue may soon return – one month after Nguyen decided to kill the game at the height of its popularity.
In an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone, Nguyen said he was “considering” bringing the game back. “I’m considering it,” he told David Kushner, before adding that any potential re-release will be the same as the original except with an extra warning that says “Please take a break.”
Flappy Bird was released on May 2013 but it found overnight success earlier this year, topping the app charts on both Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Nguyen told The Verge that the game was making at least $55,000 a day in ad revenue. According to Rolling Stone, the app still generates thousands of dollars from ads since those who still have the app are still playing.
The article also suggest that the reason he pulled the app was because he could not handle the pressure – of being relentlessly criticised, accused of plagiarism, and media scrutiny from Vietnam and abroad. According to Rolling Stone:
By early February, the weight of everything – the scrutiny, the relentless criticism and accusations – felt crushing. He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t focus, didn’t want to go outdoors. His parents, he says, “worried about my well-being.” His tweets became darker and more cryptic… He realized there was one thing to do: Pull the game.
He told the magazine that he now feels “relief”, telling Kushner, “I can’t go back to my life before, but I’m good now.”
Nguyen, according to Rolling Stone, has quit his job to focus on what he loves – making games. He is currently working on three: a cow-boy themed shooter, an “action chess game”, and a vertical flying game called Kitty Jetpack.