🐤 Overview
Flappy Bird is a side-scrolling mobile game developed by Vietnamese developer Dong Nguyen under his company .GEARS Studios.
The player taps the screen to keep a bird airborne, navigating it through gaps between pipes.
🗓️ Release History
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Initial release: May 24, 2013 (iOS); Android followed shortly after
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Rise to fame: January 2014—sudden viral explosion due to Twitch streams and social media
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Removed from stores: February 10, 2014—Nguyen cited it was “too addictive” and causing stress for players.
🎮 Gameplay Mechanics
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Objective: Tap to keep the bird flying, avoiding pipes
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Scoring: Gain 1 point for each set of pipes passed.
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Difficulty: Highly punishing—one mistake ends the run.
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Visual Style: 2D pixel-art, retro look inspired by early Mario games.
🔥 Popularity & Legacy
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Topped iOS App Store and Google Play in early 2014
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Estimated to have earned $50,000/day from in-game ads at its peak
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After removal, phones with the game pre-installed were sold online for hundreds or thousands of dollars.
🧠 Fun Fact