Last week, the Flappy Bird Foundation announced a game called Flappy BirdBut while the group presents it as a triumphant return of a classic mobile game, 'Flappy Bird's original developer Dong Nguyen does not speak of a comeback, but even says that he is not involved in it at all.
Nguyen posted so much on X this morning (for the first time since 2017!), saying he “hasn't sold anything.” The Flappy Bird Foundation wrote in the announcement it shared with the press last week that it had “acquired the rights from Gametech Holdings, LLC,” which had secured the trademark from Nguyen, but it doesn't appear that this was the result of any dealings between him and the group.
The Flappy Bird Foundation didn't mention Nguyen's involvement in its announcement, but it's definitely banking on nostalgia in its promotion of the game. More than half of the game's first trailer is devoted to the game's rising popularity and the disappointment of its sudden disappearance in 2013, before declaring, “In 2024, Flappy Bird will fly again.”
As for the crypto part of this puzzle, cybersecurity researcher Varun Biniwale pointed to hidden pages from the Flappy Bird website that suggests there might be such a component at the game's launch. A page that appears to have been removed (and is archived here) states Flappy Bird will “fly higher than ever on Solana as it ascends to Web 3.0” and invites players to “build, create, play, and stake to own.”
Currently, Flappy Bird is listed as coming soon to iOS and Android. However, don’t expect it to be the Flappy Bird They knew it – that, it seems, is still not clear.