The creator of Flappy Bird reveals why he removed his game from the App Store

When Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen removed the popular app from the App Store in February, he offered no explanation for his sudden decision. However, a month after Flappy Bird's temporary withdrawal from the app, Nguyen gave an extensive interview to Rolling Stone magazine.

In this exclusive interview, the developer explains why he withdrew the app, which could have easily been one of the biggest revelations of the moment. Dong Nguyen tells us that initially, he greatly enjoyed the success he had achieved, but that being approached so often by major media outlets, who asked him to reveal his financial success, began to make him uncomfortable.

We know that Flappy Bird , at the height of its popularity, was generating over $50.000 per day . This led to the print and television media featuring Nguyen's image as part of their daily news coverage. His family, his beginnings, his story, his life—all became so involved that he could no longer go out without being harassed by the press outside his home, workplace, or any place he visited.

While this might seem like a small price many successful personalities have to pay for such fame and fortune, for Nguyen, this excessive attention felt suffocating. But what was even more worrying came later, when the developer began receiving messages from parents and Flappy Bird fans, indicating that the game was becoming addictive for both their children and its players.

While he initially dismissed these complaints as exaggerated and unbelievable, one day a message from a woman alarmed him, telling him that Flappy Bird was "distracting the world's children." Gradually, similar messages began to affect the developer, suggesting that the game's popularity was impacting users' personalities, leading to children smashing their phones due to its addictive nature, workers losing their jobs, and other incidents that were negatively impacting the daily lives of its players.

According to Nguyen, he was having problems at school because of his Counter-Strike addiction, and those messages were one of the reasons he decided to end Flappy Bird . However, when the interviewer asked him why he ultimately deleted the app, he said, "I am the master of my own destiny. Independent thinker."

On the other hand, emphasis was placed on the existence of hundreds of clones that have gradually appeared on the App Store. And although Apple initially tried to curb the influx of Flappy Bird , the game's success has continued to tempt developers to create these clones. Nguyen added, "People can clone the app because of its simplicity, but there will never be another Flappy Bird exactly like it."

Finally, Nguyen told Rolling Stone that the removal of Flappy Bird has been a "great relief" to him , and that he is considering bringing the app back to the App Store . Dong Nguyen says he is not currently working on a new version, but if he ever releases a game, it will come with a warning that reads: "Please take a break."

Here are more details: Interview with Dong Nguyen