News of Flappy Bird game creator committing suicide, a hoax

MANILA, Philippines – Social media and websites were abuzz on Wednesday of rumors that the creator of the Flappy Bird application had committed suicide.

Dong Nguyen, who took down the addictive game off online stores, was allegedly found dead with a gunshot wound to his head.

But news websites immediately clarified that it was a hoax, most likely caused by a satirical news article posted online.

After the rumor was quashed, Nguyen received death threats on Twitter, reports said. One said he’ll kill the game developer while others egged Nguyen to push through with the suicide. Some, however, said they’ll kill themselves if the game was removed from app stores.

Nguyen, on Feb. 9, announced that it was game over for the simple game that had left many people addicted or frustrated.

“I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down. I cannot take this anymore,” he said over Twitter.

He said it had nothing to do with legal issues and that he was still making games.

In an exclusive interview with Forbes, Nguyen said he took the game down because it had become an “addictive product.

“Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed,” he explained.

“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.”

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