Flappy Bird Studio Addresses Criticism, But Ignores The Game’s Biggest Controversy

At its core, Flappy Bird is a simple game. You poke the screen to make the bird flap. You try not to bump into the pipes. You see how far you can get before inevitably crashing into said pipes. But unlike Flappy Bird’s gameplay, its history–and recently revealed information about its upcoming reboot–couldn’t be more complicated, resulting in the team behind the game’s re-release making an official statement regarding multiple controversies around the game.

Unfortunately, the Flappy Bird Foundation’s statement still managed to ignore one of the biggest critiques from players: the game’s heavy implementation of cryptocurrency.

The statement covers a lot of topics, from the upcoming Flappy Bird developer’s acquisition of the Flappy Bird trademark to commentary on the studio’s relationship with the creator of Piou Piou Vs Cactus, a mobile game that preceded Flappy Bird and inspired a large part of Flappy Bird’s gameplay.

But the Flappy Bird foundation doesn’t even attempt to address some of the game’s biggest criticisms, like Flappy Bird chief creative Mark Roberts’ enthusiastic support for cryptocurrency, Web 3.0, and blockchain technology–especially as it relates to Flappy Bird. The Flappy Bird Foundation’s statement also fails to mention the various hidden and now-deleted pages players have uncovered on the new Flappy Bird website, which include screenshots that make it clear players can connect their crypto wallets to the game, and suggest it will be heavily monetized via cryptocurrency.

Original Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen–who removed the game from app stores shortly after its release due in part to his concerns over the game’s “addictive nature“–has confirmed that he hasn’t made a dime from the Flappy Bird Foundation’s acquisition of the Flappy Bird IP. He’s also stated that he doesn’t support cryptocurrency in games.

The Flappy Bird reboot can currently be played on Telegram (though it’s unclear if this is the full, finalized version of the game), and The Flappy Bird Foundation says it has plans to release the game on browser and mobile devices in 2025. Confusingly, it has also stated that players will get a taste of the game sometime near the end of 2024, but no further details have been shared.