Make the Bird Fly Through Pipes

you tap to make the bird flap
bird moves forward on its own
pipes show up, you must get through without crashing
if you hit a pipe or fall, game over
game is super simple to start but gets punishing fast

How It Was Made and Played

• created by Dong Nguyen from Vietnam at DotGears

• he built game in just a few days in May 2013 

• bird named Faby came from a scrapped project

• gameplay inspired by ping-pong ball bouncing on paddle 

• you tap screen to flap, avoid green pipe gaps, one point per pipe passed

• game got wide downloads early 2014, hitting top charts and making around $50,000 per day from ads

Why It Hooked Players

• controls just one tap, but super hard to master

• high difficulty from start, never eases up 

• game instantly restarts, hardly any wait, makes you dive right back in 

• old-school pixel art gives nostalgic feel

• players always think “i’ll do better next time” even after failing 

• study shows sessions average 12 minutes despite short rounds 

The Crazy Rise and Sudden Stop

• went viral early 2014, topped free apps chart in US, UK, China 

• Nguyen pulled it from App Store and Google Play in February 2014, saying it was too addictive, affecting his life with stress and guilt 

• after removal, phones with game installed sold for high prices online

Legacy and What Came After

• game is considered start of hyper-casual genre—simple, quick, addictive 

• thousands of clones popped up, Apple and Google started rejecting games with “Flappy” in title 

• educational coding lessons made to teach how to build clones 

What's Happening Now

• fans formed “Flappy Bird Foundation” and acquired rights, planning relaunch on Telegram and mobile in 2025 

• Nguyen confirms he’s not involved in new version and didn’t sell rights and doesn’t support crypto 

• new version has blockchain features, multiplayer modes, new characters like “Peng” and “Quirky”

Quick Look Table

Final Thoughts

little bird with simple tap control turned into massive game legend
easy to play but brutal to master
viral rise, shocking removal, now a story that keeps echoing
fans trying to bring it back with new twists, but original creator stepped away