“Flappy Bird,” the simple, yet frustrating iOS game that took the App Store by storm has been removed from the App Store, as previously promised by developer Dong Nguyen. While Mr. Nguyen claims he withdrew it voluntarily, at least one website reports it may have been pulled by Apple following complaints from game maker Nintendo.
Apple’n’Apps, a relatively unknown site without much of a track record, is suggesting that Flappy Bird may have been pulled by Apple after Nintendo complained about copyright infringement regarding the graphics used in the game. Those pipes do look “Super Mario-esque.” […] A person familiar with the App Store review process tells Apple’N’Apps that Flappy Bird wasn’t removed voluntarily by Mr. Nguyen, as he claims. It turns out that Nintendo got in touch with Apple regarding the art assets in Flappy Bird claiming that they’re in direct violation of their copyrights.
While this story has yet to be confirmed, it does seem a little odd that a developer would voluntarily pull an app that was estimated to be bringing in around $50,000 per day in revenue.
Nguyen was reportedly unprepared for the exposure a popular game would bring him, tweeting last week: “Please give me peace.” He then announced this weekend that he would be removing the game from the App Store.
While it has yet to be confirmed as to the real reason behind the removal of “Flappy Bird,” it is indeed gone. Luckily (?) the Flappy Bird clones remain available for download.
(UPDATE) – Nintendo says don’t blame them for the removal of “Flappy Bird” from the App Store. In an email to The Wall Street Journal, the Japanese video game company remarked:
“While we usually do not comment on the rumors and speculations, we have already denied the speculation” said Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa.
