Flappy Bird Creator Pulled His Game Because It’s an ‘Addictive Product’

Feb. 11, 2014— -- Many game developers would be thrilled if millions of players couldn't tear their thumbs away from their games. Dong Nguyen, the creator of Flappy Bird, feels otherwise.

In an interview with Forbes, Nguyen said that it was that type of addiction that ultimately influenced him to remove it from both iOS and Android app stores.

"It happened to become an addictive product," he said. "I think it has become a problem. To solve that problem, it's best to take down Flappy Bird. It's gone forever."

The game has been downloaded more than 50 million times. The Verge reports that the game made as much as $50,000 each day, thanks to the advertisements within the game. But it seems that Nguyen is focusing more on his peace of mind than his finances.

Despite Flappy Bird's success, Nguyen said he wasn't happy. "My life has not been as comfortable as I was before," he said. "I couldn't sleep."

However, Nguyen isn't giving up on game development entirely. "After the success of Flappy Bird, I feel more confident and I have freedom to do what I want to do."

Some of his game studio's other games, Super Ball Juggling and Shuriken Block, are climbing up the iOS charts. But Nguyen added that if either of those games become as addictive as Flappy Bird, he would remove them from app stores.