"Flappy Bird" was slated to relaunch in 2024 after more than ten years of absence from the App Store -- but there are signs that it's just a crypto Ponzi scheme.
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On Thursday, a group of alleged "Flappy Bird fans" announced that they would revive the decade-dead global hit. While many were excited, an equal amount seemed skeptical.
And, as it turns out, there was a good reason for the skepticism. The relaunch appears designed to hock crypto.
Cyber-security researcher Varun Biniwale has uncovered hidden pages on the Flappy Bird website that shows heavy references to Web 3, micro-transactions, and the cryptocurrency Solana. Biniwale also uncovered a playable version of the game with a leaderboard filled with crypto-based usernames. The playable version references a $FLAP token.
As AppleInsider pointed out before, the creator of the original Flappy Bird took the game down in 2014, less than a year after it was created. Dong Nguyen, the creator, had feared the game had become too addictive.
Some may wonder if Nguyen finally gave up and sold the trademark for the game to another company for some quick cash. That doesn't appear to be the case.
According to Inverse, court documents showed that Gametech Holdings filed to take over the trademark in September 2023. The company argued that the trademark had been abandoned, showing that Nguyen had gone on record saying he'd no longer develop the game.
As a result, the court awarded Gametech Holdings the right to purchase it.
Afterward, Gametech Holdings sold the trademark to The Flappy Bird Foundation. And, as VideoGamer notes, game designer Michael Roberts heads up that company.
Roberts is studio head at 1208 Productions, a studio that touts itself as a "pioneer in the Web 3 space." Additionally, the company has its own NFT brand called "Deez."
So, for those hoping the return of Flappy Bird would harken back to the simpler times of 2013, that doesn't seem likely. Instead, the titular hero appears to have gone the way of the crypto bro.