Flappy Bird Developer Death Threats

As if this Flappy Bird story wasn't crazy enough, a new wrinkle has entered the fray that showcases humanity at its most devious. Not to mention, it's once again proof that there are a lot of people out there trying to make a quick buck off unsuspecting strangers.

Since Flappy Bird is no longer available on either the iOS or Android app stores, several would-be profiteers have taken it upon themselves to offer a solution. No, they haven't created a Flappy Bird clone or another iteration of the endless runner genre, mind you. Rather, these people have decided to sell their smartphone or tablet, pre-loaded with Flappy Bird, on the popular auction site eBay.

While that in and of itself is a silly proposition, the sellers have taken things a step further by posting their devices at close to $100 mark-ups. In essence, buyers are paying an extra $100 for the opportunity to play a once-free app. Some sellers have been kind enough to include their Flappy Bird high score in with the deal though, so there's also that.

What's even stranger is that people are actually bidding on the Flappy Bird smartphones; someone actually sees the value in a rudimentary game that's been done countless times before and with better mechanics and visuals. One listing, in fact, got as high as $99,000, but we suspect that was a case of auction fraud, as the listing has since been removed.

Flappy Bird Phones On Sale

Whatever the case, the Flappy Bird phenomenon is still not over, and the saga of troubled developer Dong Nguyen has only just begun. As well, we wouldn't be surprised if, like a dopey phoenix reluctantly rising from the ashes, that Flappy Bird popped up in one form or another relatively soon.

Speaking of the Flappy Bird dev, while his game has been quite the success (and news) story, that popularity has come at a major price for Nguyen. As we have already detailed, Nguyen's overnight success has brought on a tremendous undue stress, leading him to take his game offline.

Unfortunately, that decision has made things even worse for Nguyen, who is now receiving death threats. The threats starting coming in prior to his deleting of Flappy Bird, and now that the game is truly gone they haven't stopped. It's one thing to criticize a developer's product, and it's hard to deny that Flappy Bird deserves a lot of the criticisms thrown its way, but personal attacks cross a line.

Nguyen's game might not be the type of quality product that most hope for out of a mobile title, but it's important to remember that this is the same market that turned Candy Crush Saga into a mega-hit, and gave publisher King Games its skewed sense of grandeur. The mobile space is fast becoming like the Wild West and it appears no one is safe.

Can you see yourself paying any amount for the chance to play Flappy Bird? Where does your opinion of the game fall?

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Source: VG 24/7, Develop Online