Flappy Bird, a viral iPhone game that was a smash hit on the App Store ten years ago only to vanish overnight, is somehow returning.
If you haven’t seen it, Flappy Bird is trending in the news this morning. “The Official Flappy Bird is returning to your phone,” reads a message on flappybird.org.
The game will hitiOS and Android with new characters, including the three-eyed wonder Trixy, plump penguin Peng, Quirky (a unique bird with a distinctive horn), and a cutting-edge robot bird called Tekno, alongside the classic game.
There will be more challenging game modes this time, like shooting your bird through hoops, EZ mode, where you build up your skills to challenge the pros, and another one where you challenge other 99 rivals.
Flappy Bird is returning to the iPhone
The casual side-scroller where you fly a bird between columns of pipes without hitting them was developed by Vietnamese programmer Dong Nguyen over just a few days. But he has nothing to do with the sequel.
As IGN explains, the Flappy Bird Foundation Group has purchased the trademark and rights to the original Flappy Bird game and is planning to bring it back in 2025.
“Just a decade ago, I was the talk of the town and soaring to new heights with my 100 million friends,” the post reads. “Sadly, I had to leave the fame and spotlight behind to go home and find out who I really am.”
“Thanks to my super Flappy Bird fans, I’m refreshed, reinvigorated, and ready to soar again,” it reads. “The decade-long mission involved acquiring legal rights and even working with my predecessor to uncage me and rehatch the official Flappy Bird game!”
The Flappy Bird phenomenon
Nguyen pulled the game from the App Store, saying he felt guilty that people were addicted to it, and he was right. People were selling iPhones with Flappy Bird installed for crazy sums, and the App Store was filled with Flappy Bird clones.
At the height of its popularity, Flappy Bird was earning its creator about $50,000 per week from ads. Maybe he’s allowing the company to bring the game back from dead because he’s spent all his Flappy Bird money?