In Memoriam: The life and death of Flappy Bird.

Well, it’s done.

In news that has devastated obsessed players the world over, international smash-hit app Flappy Bird has been taken down by its creator, just a few weeks after after becoming a global phenomenon.

It’s a simple yet all too common story: For Dong Nguyen, the pressure of app-creating superstardom just became too much. One minute he was going about about his life in Vietnam, the next he had the number one app on iTunes and was making $50,000 a day in ad revenue.

People were saying he had created the new Candy Crush.

Hell, they were even saying he’d created the new Angry Birds.

But Dong’s innocent heart wasn’t interested in things like money or fame, and the dark side of app creation became too much pressure for his sensitive soul to bear. So yesterday, after a few glorious weeks as the internet’s hottest new star, Dong tweeted that he was shutting the game down – FOREVER. He didn’t want to sell, he didn’t want to take a break; he just wanted the hell to be over.

And then, just like that, it was.

Flappy Bird can no longer be found on iTunes. Dong wasn’t bluffing – the game is dead.

So without further ado, I’d like to present:

The Life and Death of Flappy Bird:

Internet Fame and a Sensitive Heart

-The Dong Nguyen Story-

May 24, 2013: Flappy Bird makes its debut on iTunes.

It’s a simple game – all you have to do is tap the screen to make a cartoon bird fly through pipes. If you hit the pipes, you die and go back to the start. Every pair of pipes you fly through gives you one point. It sounds easy enough, but the game is actually excruciatingly difficult – it’s often impossible to even get past zero.

Observe:

May 2013 – January 2014: Nobody cares about Flappy Bird

January 2014: Flappy Bird starts to go viral: Thanks to word spreading about how crazy-addictive the game is, Flappy Bird starts to climb to the top of the app charts. People become obsessed with beating Flappy Bird. ‘Flappy Bird Rage’ becomes a thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DdQVnSQ6rE

Last week of January 2014: Despite being a rage-inducing game that haunts everybody’s dreams, nobody can stop playing, or talking about playing, Flappy Bird. Flappy Bird tops the iTunes app chart. Dong starts making $50,000 a DAY.

February 8, 2014: Something goes horribly wrong. Dong tweets that he is shutting down Flappy Bird. He refuses to sell. Won’t explain except to say that he wants to go back to his simple life.

February 9, 2014: Almost exactly 22 hours after making his Tweet announcement, Flappy Bird disappears from iTunes and other app stores. Those who have it on their phones can keep it, but it can’t be downloaded by anyone else.

February 9 (late afternoon), 2014:  Phones with Flappy Bird on them become a sought-after commodity.

February 10, 2014: The world is in shock. All we can do now is remember. Remember, and spread the epic story of one humble man’s rise to the top and subsequent voluntary dive back to the bottom.

You will always be in our hearts, Dong.

Let’s never forget Dong and his Flappy Bird.

Flappy Bird May 2103 – February 2104

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