Flappy Bird to return after a 10 – year hiatus : the true story behind the world most viral mobile game.

This resurgence of the game has sparked a renewed interest in the game’s design and its impact on the mobile gaming landscape. Flappy Bird’s simple yet addictive gameplay, coupled with its minimalist aesthetic, made it a global phenomenon. Its minimalist design, characterized by a single bird character and a simple background, allowed for easy accessibility and quick learning. This simplicity, however, was also a key factor in its addictive nature.

So, will Flappy Bird have market success in 2025? What led to the rise, ban and return of the game? Why does the original creator not have any involvement with the new game? What causes the addictive nature of mobile games like Flappy Bird? Thomas Sharpe is an adjunct assistant professor at Temple University’s School of Theater, Film and Media Arts. Sharpe teaches Video Game and Playable Media Design, a course that focuses on video game development and distribution within various digital platforms. He is also the director of Gossamer, an indie game studio he helped launch in 2015. Gossamer’s debut game SOLE was featured at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, PAX Rising and the Indie MEGABOOTH.

Temple Now caught up with Sharpe to get his thoughts on what led to the market success and end of Flappy Bird and whether its enhanced remake will succeed in the current mobile game market. Thomas Sharpe teaches a video game production class, Video Game and Playable Media Design, at Temple’s School of Theater, Film and Media Arts. (Photography By: Joseph V. Labolito) Temple Now: What is Flappy Bird and what inspired the game? Thomas Sharpe: Flappy Bird is a mobile game with simple graphics reminiscent of early 8-bit gaming that was released in 2013 by a solo Vietnamese developer Dong Nguyen. It’s an endless runner game with a one-button gaming design to control a bird to fly through gaps between green pipes without hitting them for as long as you can. The gameplay was inspired by the challenge of bouncing a ping pong ball on a paddle as many times as you can. The motion of Flappy Bird follows a similar concept of controlling a bird to flap up and down as many times as you can. It has the foundation of many platformer games like Doodle Jump or Super Mario Bros. of timing jumps and when to press buttons. These basic games we like to play practice dexterity and are stimulating similarly to when people play sports or with toys, which translate well into a video game format.

He started with simple games, but as he grew more skilled, he created more complex and challenging games. Flappy Bird was his most ambitious project yet. It was a simple game with a single goal: to guide a bird through a series of pipes.

You are then left with a sense of frustration and a desire to try again. This is the core of the game’s addictive nature. ## Flappy Bird: A Deep Dive into Addictive Design

Flappy Bird, a simple yet addictive mobile game, captivated millions of players worldwide.

## Flappy Bird: The Rise and Fall of a Gaming Phenomenon

Flappy Bird, a simple yet addictive mobile game released in 2013, captivated the world with its minimalist design and gameplay. It quickly rose to fame, becoming a global phenomenon. However, the game’s meteoric rise was short-lived.

TN: What do you expect from the updated version of Flappy Bird in 2025 and why won’t the original creator have any involvement? TS: Nguyen lost the Flappy Bird trademark rights due to claims of abandonment. Gametech Holdings LLC was granted the rights to Flappy Bird after filing a motion in court for ownership. Gametech Holdings then sold the game’s trademark to the Flappy Bird Foundation, who described themselves as, “A dedicated team of passionate fans and industry veterans who share a deep love for Flappy Bird.” The new game will be more of a sequel with new game modes and character designs. It also has the potential to have new monetization strategies, including loot boxes, season passes and other game features that can be accessed directly with real-world money. I am skeptical whether the additional systems or microtransactions to evolve the game’s design could complicate things. Simplicity was a huge part of its original market success. There was a high volume of nostalgic interest revolving around the new game’s announcement on social media, so it will be interesting to see how the audience responds once it is released.

TN: Final question. For students interested in the mobile gaming industry, what can they learn from your video game production class at Temple? TS: We have the infrastructure for aspiring game developers to learn in Philadelphia. In my class at Temple, students learn how to use the powerful tools within Unreal Editor for Fortnite, a PC application to design, develop and publish games directly into Fortnite. They learn to create experiences using art, animations and audio within Fortnite as the foundation where they can publish content to the millions of daily users. We help put students in a position to publish experiences and have consumers from the real world play their games.

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