‘Flappy Bird’ Comeback May Actually Be a Cryptocurrency Scheme
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Yesterday, we reported that Flappy Bird was once more taking flight in the Apple App Store after ten years of being grounded. Unfortunately, it now appears that the “comeback” may simply be a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme from a group that isn’t connected to the popular game’s original developer.
On Thursday, a website, FlappyBird.org, announced that the game would be returning to mobile phones in 2024 after a decade-long absence. The refreshed Flappy Bird was said to include the classic “flappy” arcade mode as well as new game modes, including an easier mode for beginners, a basketball mode, and a battle royale mode. The website is also promoting new characters, including Trixie, Peng, Tekno, and Quirky, each of which is said to have unique superpowers.
While the announcement was met with enthusiasm (yes, from this reporter, too), some were skeptical of the comeback.
Now, it appears that was a good reason for such skepticism, as a cyber researcher has uncovered code on the website that indicates that the relaunch is apparently a scheme to push cryptocurrency.
Cyber-security researcher Varun Biniwale discovered hidden pages on the Flappy Bird website with several references to Web 3, micro-transactions, and the cryptocurrency Solana. Biniwale also discovered a playable version of the game that sports a leaderboard filled with crypto-based usernames and includes references to a “$FLAP” token.
A quick google search for
site:flappybird.orgreveals some pages on the site.
[…]
The last page “3-$Flap” reveals what this all may really be about.
This page seems to suggest that the original plan of the project revolved around cryptocurrency and “Web 3.0”. Some people may refer to these kinds of projects as “grifts”.
As we reported on Thursday, Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen pulled the game from the Apple App Store and Google Play store in February 2014, saying that playing the game was so addictive that it became “a problem.”
While it may appear that Nguyen had sold the game’s trademark to another party for a quick buck, that does not appear to be the situation.
Inverse reports that it has found court documents showing that a company called Gametech Holdings had filed to take over the Flappy Bird trademark in September 2023, claiming that it had been abandoned since Nguyen had gone on record as saying he would no longer develop the game. The court ruled that the trademark had indeed been abandoned and awarded Gametech Holdings the right to purchase it.
After grabbing up the trademark Gametech Holdings sold it to The Flappy Bird Foundation. As VideoGamer notes, that company is headed up by game designer Michael Roberts, who is studio head at 1208 Productions, a game studio that promotes itself as a “pioneer in the Web 3 space.” 1208 Productions also promotes its on NFT brand called “Deez.” (No word on whether the company also sell nuts under the “Deez” banner.)
Unfortunately, all of these discoveries point to the triumphant return of Flappy Bird as actually being a crypto scheme that will be pushed by “crypto bros” with no connection to the original Flappy Bird game.
