Flappy Bird creator says he removed the game because it became too addictive

Had enough of Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen? The Vietnam-based developer has spoken out for the first time since pulling the wildly popular game for iOS and Android earlier this week. In an interview with Forbes, he said the decision came because the game was so addictive that it “had become a problem.”

The Forbes report suggests Dong felt guilt because so many people had become addicted to the game, though his other games will remain available because they are “harmless.” Dong said his stress was so severe that he found himself unable to sleep — his anguish has certainly been visible in his recent tweets.

I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down. I cannot take this anymore.

— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014

In the rest of the interview — available at the link below — Dong denied that legal issues had forced the game offline. He pledged to release new apps in the future and said he quite likes some of the Flappy Bird clones.

➤ Exclusive: Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Says App ‘Gone Forever’ Because It Was ‘An Addictive Product’ [Forbes]