Flappy Bird pulled to save you from addiction, says creator

Indie developer Dong Nguyen revealed his reasoning behind the decision to remove Flappy Bird from both iTunes App Store and Google Play last week, telling Forbes he pulled the game because it became "an addictive product."

"It happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem," said Nguyen who adds that the release of Flappy Bird took an emotional toll on its creator. "My life has not been as comfortable as I was before. I couldn't sleep," he says.

Since the game's removal, the Vietnam-based developer has been Internet-free and resting. Prior to the publication of the Forbes article, Nguyen also met with Vietnam's deputy prime minister.

The Flappy Bird creator initially considered developing a sequel for the game, which itself was developed last year and has gone on to generate an average of $50,000 each day. Nguyen now believes this is unlikely; however, he plans to continue developing games.

Beyond Flappy Bird, Nguyen has two popular games in the Top 20 list available on the App Store: Super Ball Juggling and Shuriken Block.

Nguyen announced his plans to pull the game over the weekend, stating only "It is not anything related to legal issues. I just cannot keep it anymore."

Flappy Bird's surprise success drew allegations that Nguyen employed bots to boost the game's ranking in Apple's App Store. When asked about those allegations, Nguyen told a Newsweek reporter on Twitter, "It doesn't matter. Don't you think? If I did fake it, should Apple let it live for months?"

Nguyen said earlier this week he did not want attention from the media, tweeting, "Press people are overrating the success of my games. It is something I never want. Please give me peace."

For more on Flappy Bird, check out our discussion of the game on Friends List.