Flappy Bird killed; creator pulls game from Internet

Flappy Bird, the simple, but maddeningly difficult mobile phone game, was permanently taken down by its creator, Dong Nguyen, on Sunday. The Vietnamese designer said the rapid success of the game 'ruined' his 'peaceful life', making him hate his own creation.

Nguyen, who has made a number of simple games for mobile phones, launched Flappy Bird in May. It took off in December, garnering a total of 50 million downloads, and generating $50,000 a day in advertising, at the peak of its popularity.

The game is very simple. Players must safely guide a small bird through the narrow spaces of a series of staggered pipes. Any bumps or misses will kill it, sending the player to start again.

Despite its popularity and financial reward, Nguyen said he removed the game from all of its online platforms, including iTurnes and the Google Play store. Users who had previously downloaded the game can continue to play it, though it will no longer be available to new consumers.

Reports have offered a number of reasons why Nguyen may have taken down the game, despite his claims that it disrupted his personal peace. The bird flies through pipes that are very similar to those seen in Nintendo's Super Mario Brothers, leading some to believe that the Japanese game maker might have put pressure on Nguyen. Others suspect the success of the game may have initially relied on the use of bots to boost early downloads. Some observers, such as blogger Robert Scoble, believe the move is a marketing ploy to increase publicity for future releases.

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