Flappy Bird Returns: Web3-Powered Revival After Controversial Takeover

More than a decade after its death, Flappy Bird is planning its comeback. In its new X account that was started on March 2023, the owners of Flappy Bird announced that they are back!

But some critical changes have been made to the game and the reason its original creator doesn't seem to be involved might be enough to sour the excitement of the retro revival.

Force takeover of Flappy Bird

Many would know that the original creator of Flappy was Vietnamese developer Dong Nguyen. After the rise of Flappy Bird game, he started to get messages from fans complaining about how addicted they were to the game. Thus, Nguyen decided to close down the game for the common good of his fans.

But it seems that Nguyen is not the person pushing the comeback of the game, since there is no updates of this major news on any of his social media. In fact, his last post dated back to 2017. Since then, he has completely vanished from the social media world.

Courts documents have showed instead that Gametech Holdings filed to take over the Flappy Bird trademark in September 2023. The courts have given the license of Flappy to Gametech Holding as the Flappy Bird is considered to be abandoned, given how inactive Nguyen has been with the game and how he showed no interest in using it in the future.

Thus by default, Gametech has successfully forcefully taken over the license of the game, but later sold the license to The Flappy Bird Foundation.

After the take over, the Chief Creative behind the new Flappy Bird game is Michael Roberts. Robert is someone in the Web3 world, so we can expect some blockchain features in the new Flappy Bird game.

In a press release, Robert says:

"We are beyond excited to bring back Flappy Bird and deliver a fresh experience that will keep players engaged for years to come. We have big plans for our little bird."

Integration of Web3 features while retailing the retro

Unlike the original, which was a simple, straightforward game focused on high scores and quick reflexes, the new release will include new game modes, characters, progression and massive multiplayer challenges. Additionally, there are also rumours that the new Flappy Bird game might include some form of microtransactions, unlike the original game which was entirely supported by ads.

Footage of the game also shows an interface displaying the player's number of diamonds, which may indicate a premium in-game currency.

The new Flappy Bird is coming to multiple unannounced plaforms this fall, with Android and IOS versions planned for 2025. The owners of the Flappy Bird initially revealed on the project's Linktree page that the game can be playable exclusively on the messaging platform, Telegram. This announcement was later retracted.

Will Flappy Bird regain its former glory

Flappy Bird might be making a comeback, but in a form that seems abhorrent to its original creator, and under circumstances it's hard to feel anything but put off by. While some may enjoy revisiting the nostalgia of the early 2010s with this new release, one can't help but wonder if the legacy of the game would have been better left untouched after its original removal.