After several days of speculations about the return of Flappy Bird, it is now official: The popular mobile game has relaunched on Telegram and will be powered by crypto.
Flappy Bird Partners With Notcoin
Flappy Bird has collaborated with Telegram-based game Notcoin, which will help introduce it to the TON gaming ecosystem. However, the integration of Web3 aspects into the game has attracted mixed reactions, with Web2 gaming developer Sam Chiet claiming that Flappy Bird’s new gaming mechanism is “predatory.”
Furthermore, Chiet revealed on Monday that Flappy Bird’s original creator, Dong Nguyen, who removed the game from online stores in 2014, wasn’t behind the revival. Instead, gaming company Gametech Holdings pioneered Flappy Bird’s comeback.
Following the relaunch of his game, Nguyen tweeted on Monday for the first time in seven years to confirm that he wasn’t involved in reviving Flappy Bird. He added that he doesn’t support crypto.
It is worth mentioning that Nguyen didn’t sell his rights to the Flappy Bird trademark. So, how did Gametech Holdings acquire them? The US Patent and Trademark Office gave the rights to the gaming company after it was confirmed that Nguyen had abandoned his project.
Gametech Holdings Sells Flappy Bird Trademark
Notably, Gametech Holdings no longer holds Flappy Bird’s trademark. The company sold it to the Flappy Bird Foundation last month and partnered to relaunch the game. In a statement, the foundation assured players its commitment to enhancing user experience by introducing new game characters, multiplayer challenges, and modes.
As mentioned earlier, a cryptocurrency will power Flappy Bird. On the game’s official website, a token named “FLAP” has been mentioned. According to the displayed details, the crypto asset will be used to reward players and could be launched via airdrop.
Last week, the Flappy Bird website indicated that FLAP will be launched on Solana. However, the latest update suggests the token will go live on TON, probably because The Open Network has been the top crypto gaming platform this year.
The Flappy Return
As of this writing, Flappy Bird is only available as a Telegram mini app. However, the Flappy Bird Foundation has announced plans to launch the game’s Android and iOS apps in 2025. Speaking to a journalist from Decrypt on Monday, the foundation’s spokesperson said they chose to launch the game on Telegram first because the messaging platform already hosts several Web3 gaming communities, thus making it easy for Flappy Bird to attract traffic.
Moreover, the spokesman said the TON community on Telegram provided an ideal launchpad for the popular game.
Flappy Bird became the second game to launch on Telegram via Notcoin following the launch of a narrative game inspired by Lost Dogs NFTs in August. The Flappy Bird Foundation believes the Gametech Holdings-Notcoin partnership will allow the Web2 game to stick to its traditional roots while exploring the Web3 space.
The foundation further insists that Flappy Bird will continue to be a free-to-play game while rewarding players with FLAP tokens, which can be easily converted to Toncoin upon full integration with the TON network.
Why Did Nguyen Remove Flappy Bird From Online Stores?
Before being pulled down from the internet in 2014, Flappy Bird had attracted more than 51 million downloads and led the charts in over 100 countries. Moreover, it generated daily ad revenue of nearly $50,000. So, why would its developer Nguyen remove it from stores despite the massive success?
In a tweet, Nguyen said on February 8th, 2024, that he was happy with the success of his project, but it had ruined his simple life, thus leading him to delete it from online stores. His move fueled demand for Flappy Bird, with some players who had downloaded the app selling it for up to $80,000.
Over the years, several knockoffs of Flappy Bird have launched on various blockchains, but none have attracted significant traffic. Whether the Web3 version of the iconic game will attract a huge number of players like the original one remains to be seen.
