Dong Nguyen, the creator of the iconic mobile game Flappy Bird, has publicly distanced himself from claims linking him to a reboot of the game allegedly tied to cryptocurrency and Web3.
Flappy Bird, which exploded in popularity in 2013, was a simple yet addictive mobile game downloaded over 90 million times, earning Nguyen $50,000 per day in ad revenue at its peak. Despite its global success, Nguyen removed the game from app stores due to concerns over its addictive nature, and it vanished from the mobile gaming scene.
Fast forward a decade, Flappy Bird has resurfaced in headlines, this time embroiled in a controversy involving cryptocurrency. Last year, Gametech Holdings LLC, a firm behind the Flappy Bird Foundation, claimed that Nguyen had abandoned his trademark. In January, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office sided with Gametech, ending Nguyen’s rights to the trademark.
Gametech has since announced plans to re-launch Flappy Bird, hinting at a collaboration with Nguyen. However, Nguyen refuted these claims in a September 15 post on X (formerly Twitter), stating that he had not sold any rights and is not involved in any new project, further clarifying, “I don’t support crypto.”
Unveiled Crypto Plans
The controversy deepened when cybersecurity researcher Varun Biniwale discovered hidden pages on the Flappy Bird Foundation’s website that revealed plans for a crypto-influenced version of the game. These pages, now deleted, detailed features like a “$FLAP token” and a Web3-based version of the game on the Solana blockchain. There were also references to staking mechanisms, a “flap-to-earn” model, and exclusive Telegram-based events.
Biniwale also uncovered an active leaderboard system featuring the names of several crypto influencers, suggesting that the game may have been quietly released to a select audience. This revelation has fueled speculation that the Flappy Bird reboot is leveraging nostalgia to push crypto-related offerings. Biniwale criticized the project, calling it “shady” and suggesting it was quietly trying to monetize through cryptocurrency and Web3 integration.
As blockchain-based gaming rises, particularly on platforms like Telegram and The Open Network (TON), projects such as this are becoming more common, but Nguyen’s disavowal casts a shadow over the legitimacy of this Flappy Bird revival.
