In an unexpected twist, Dong Nguyen, the original creator of the iconic mobile game Flappy Bird, has confirmed he has no involvement in the upcoming re-release of the game. The announcement comes after the Flappy Bird Foundation recently revealed plans to relaunch the game, calling it the triumphant return of the hit game. However, Nguyen has made it clear that this is not a comeback from his side.
Nguyen broke his silence on X (formerly Twitter) for the first time since 2017 to address the situation. In his post, he emphasised that he didn’t “sell anything” related to Flappy Bird. “No, I have no related with their game. I did not sell anything,” Nguyen wrote.
The Flappy Bird Foundation, in its press release, claimed it had “acquired the rights” from Gametech Holdings, LLC, which had secured the trademark from Nguyen.
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Gametech filed an opposition to Nguyen’s Flappy Bird trademark in 2023. This came nearly ten years after Nguyen had abruptly pulled the game at the height of its popularity, reports The Verge. As a result, the US Patent and Trademark Office determined that Nguyen’s trademark had been abandoned.
Although the Flappy Bird Foundation never explicitly claimed that Nguyen was involved, it leaned heavily on the nostalgia of the original game to promote its re-launch. The first teaser trailer highlighted Flappy Bird’s rapid rise to fame and its sudden removal, building anticipation for the re-release.
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Interestingly, cybersecurity expert Varun Biniwale discovered hidden pages on the Flappy Bird website suggesting a potential connection to cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. One page, now removed, said Flappy Bird will “fly higher than ever on Solana as it soars into web 3.0,” and invited players to “build, create, play and stake to own.”
As of now, the game is listed as coming soon for iOS and Android, but without Nguyen’s involvement, the return may not feel like the Flappy Bird of old.