Flappy Bird was released for both ios and Android.
The game is a side-scroller where the player controls a bird, attempting to fly between columns of green pipes without hitting them.
It is a side-scrolling mobile game featuring 2D retro style graphics.
The objective is to direct a flying bird, named Faby, who moves continuously to the right, between sets of Mario-like pipes.
If the player touches the pipes, they lose. Faby briefly flaps upward each time that the player taps the screen; if the screen is not tapped, Faby falls because of gravity; each pair of pipes that he navigates between earns the player a single point, with medals awarded for the score at the end of the game.
No medal is awarded to scores less than ten.
A bronze medal is given to scores between ten and twenty. In order to receive the silver medal, the player must reach twenty points. The gold medal is given to those who score at least thirty points.
Players who achieve a score of forty or higher receive a platinum medal. Android devices enabled the access of world leaderboards, through Google Play.
There is no variation or evolution in gameplay throughout the game, as the pipes always have the same gap between them and there is no end to the running track, having only the flap and ding sounds and the rising score as rewards.
On February 8, 2014, Nguyen announced on Twitter that the game was to be removed from both Apple's App Store and Google Play, writing: "I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down. I cannot take this anymore."He went on to say that taking down the game had "nothing to do with legal issues".
The game was removed from both Apple's App Store and Google Play exactly on time, much to the dismay of many fans.
Tuoi Tre News, an English-language newspaper in Vietnam, reported from a local technology expert that Flappy Bird's removal could have been due to a legal challenge from Nintendo over perceived visual similarities to Mario games.
This allegation was denied by a Nintendo spokesman to The Wall Street Journal.
Lawyers in Vietnam also denied allegations that Nguyen had to remove the game due to violating new laws on internet use in the country.
Following the removal, many media outlets reported that several merchants on eBay were offering phones which had the app pre-installed for US$1,499 or more, with some receiving bids of over $90,000;however, the listings were removed for violating eBay's rule stating that smartphones must be restored to factory settings before being sold.
In an interview with Forbes, Nguyen cited the game's addictive nature for its cancellation, stating: "Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed. But it happened to become an addictive product.
I think it has become a problem. To solve that problem, it's best to take down Flappy Bird. It's gone forever." Nguyen said that the guilt that he felt over the game was affecting his sleep, and that his conscience was relieved after he took down the game.
In a March 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, Nguyen refused to rule out re-releasing Flappy Bird, on condition that it would come with a warning to "Take a break".
On March 19, he announced via Twitter that the game will be rereleased onto App Stores, but not anytime soon.
On May 15, Nguyen told CNBC's Kelly Evans that the game would return in August, with multiplayer capability and will be "less addictive".
As Nguyen had promised, August 2014 saw a revised version of Flappy Bird, called Flappy Birds Family, released exclusively through the Amazon Appstore for the Amazon Fire TV platform.
The new version also features new obstacles not in the original as well as an additional multiplayer option.
