Flappy Bird
Tap-to-Fly Mobile Game
Forgotten Apps · 2013–2014
Archived on
Associated With
Dong Nguyen Ha - associated person
Defining Feature
An electronic game identified by the FLAPPYBIRD name and a flying-bird design
Status
Discontinued — the original game was withdrawn from Apple’s App Store in February 2014
Overview
Flappy Bird asked players to tap repeatedly, keeping a small bird airborne between rows of green pipes.
Created by Vietnamese developer Dong Nguyen and released in 2013, the mobile game allowed almost no room for error. Each failure could be followed by another attempt within seconds.
The game reached the top of Apple’s App Store chart before the original app was removed from the store in February 2014.
Why It Mattered
Flappy Bird paired one obvious control with rapid failure and immediate restarts, making each attempt brief and easy to repeat. That cycle made the game simple to understand and difficult to master.
One-Tap Flight
- Repeated screen taps keep the bird airborne between vertical pipes.
- Contact with a pipe ends the attempt, allowing another run to begin quickly.
Release and Withdrawal
- The original game was released in 2013.
- Guinness World Records documents its removal from the Apple App Store in February 2014 after it had topped the charts.
The Separate Trademark Record
- The Canadian application was filed on 7 April 2014 and claimed use since 24 May 2013.
- That application was abandoned on 12 February 2020.
- US application 86209920 was abandoned after an inter-partes decision; a trademark outcome does not establish the game’s withdrawal date.
Sources & Records
- Guinness World Records — Flappy Bird’s withdrawal — Describes its tap-to-fly gameplay, chart success and withdrawal by its creator.
- Canadian Intellectual Property Office — Flappy Bird trademark application — Records the applicant, claimed first use and later abandonment of the Canadian application.
- US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board — Flappy Bird proceedings — Records the US trademark dispute and abandonment, separately from the app’s withdrawal.
Gallery
Credit
Flappy Bird interface: Dong Nguyen / .GEARS; reproduced by CREATe
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
This App Store view sets screenshots of the pipe-based game beside an unavailability notice, illustrating the storefront context for the reported 2014 withdrawal.