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Did the “Flappy Bird” Developer Commit Suicide?

A story circulating online tonight states that the developer of the game “Flappy Bird” has committed suicide. Is this real or fake?

FAKE

The article comes from the humorous website huzlers.com. The same website was responsible for another “Flappy Bird” rumor that went viral last week with a story that a teen killed his brother over the game.

In this fake story about the Flappy Bird developer, we read:

SAN FRANCISCO – Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen has just been found dead in his home with a gunshot wound in his head. Authorities are confirming that Nguyen committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a pistol. Authorities are saying that the sensational game Flappy Bird had something to do with the suicide.

The fake news account was not reported by any reputable news source.

While the story about Nguyen committing suicide is a work of fiction, this “satire” falls on the heels of a number of odd tweets by the “Flappy Bird” developer who said he planned to take the game down because “I cannot take this anymore.”

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Yesterday I read in many news articles that Flappy Bird would be taken down from the App Store & Google Play Store:

‘Flappy Bird’ Creator Says He’s Taking The Game Down

In a bizarre turn of events, the Vietnamese creator of the maddeningly difficult #1 Android and Apple iOS game Flappy Bird is saying that he’s taking the game down within the next day.

Developer Dong Nguyen announced the decision on Twitter just a few hours ago: “I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down. I cannot take this anymore.”

This sort of move is perplexing as Nguyen is reported to be bringing in $50,000 a day from in-app advertising revenue. It would be understandable if say, Nintendo was suing him for ripping off their art, but he claims that isn’t the case.

He also says he’s not interested in selling Flappy Bird, and he still makes other games, many of which are also quite popular on the Android and iOS app stores.

Credits: Forbes

I didn’t know whether to believe it or not initially, but well – I already have that maddening game installed in my iPad (as mentioned here: I hate Flappy Bird) so I’m alright. BUT..I forgot to install it in my brand new Note 3! EEKS! Just checked out the Google Play Store and yes..it’s already been removed 🙁

Lol..wonder what are the people who deleted the game in a fit of anger get their hands on Flappy Bird again.

Well, actually there are TWO ways on how you still can get your hands of Flappy Bird:

1. Second-hand iPhone with Flappy Bird installed on eBay for $650

Game designer Nguyen Ha Don removed the game from app stores on Android and iPhone earlier today, meaning it can no longer be downloaded, but will still exist on devices that already have it installed. Shortly afterwards, the following listing appeared on eBay:

Incredibly, or perhaps incredibly predictably, someone actually submitted a bid matching the asking price hours later.

2. Download the Flappy Bird knockoff game – Ironpants

A cheaper/free alternative is to play the Flappy Bird knockoff game – Ironpants that is available on Google Play HERE and App Store HERE