Flappy Bird Knockoffs Dominate the App Store: 'Fly Birdie,' 'Flappy Bee' Both in Top 5
The App Store is getting Flappy Happy.
On Monday morning, about a day after the creator of Flappy Bird removed his hit app from both Apple’s and Google’s app marketplaces, obvious knockoffs of the game were topping Apple’s App Store in its place. In the wake of Flappy Bird’s sudden disappearance from the iPhone, “Flappy Plane” and “Flappy Bee” have charged into the App Store Top 20; an app with almost identical gameplay to Flappy Bird, called “Ironpants,” has taken over the No. 2 spot; and the No. 1 app is “Fly Birdie — Flappy Bird Flyer,” a clone so complete that it even manages to sneak the name “Flappy Bird” into its title.
A survey of the App Store as it currently sits, at 10:30AM Monday morning.
Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen created a firestorm over the weekend when he revealed on Twitter that for personal reasons he was pulling Flappy Bird, a smash success for both iPhone and Android devices that was making the Vietnamese developer a reported $50,000 per day. On Sunday, Flappy Bird disappeared from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Those who had already downloaded the app were able to continue playing; those who had not yet discovered Flappy Bird — well, they were left searching for alternatives.
And alternatives they now have. Each of these new top apps replicates the basics of Flappy Bird, from the gameplay down to the use of the word “Flappy” in their titles.
Screenshots from the game “Fly Birdie” now tops in Apple’s App Store.
The player must guide a hero — a bird, a bee or a plane — sideways through a series of vertically shifting obstacles. Taps on the screen propel the hero upward; doing nothing drops the hero to the ground. Flappy Bird has been both praised and criticized for its difficulty and simplicity, and has won legions of addicted fans who struggle to last for more than a few seconds per contest.
Screenshots from Ironpants.
Flappy Bird didn’t invent this style of game. It has often been compared to an old game called the “Helicopter Game.” And though Flappy Bird may not score points for its originality, it has clearly reignited the popularity of this “side-scrolling” category, creating by the sheer force of its demand a new niche of retro-style, tap-to-control smartphone games.
Now that Nguyen has pulled his app, other developers are reaping the rewards, as the simplicity of Flappy Bird has also made it simple to quickly replicate. Perhaps it’s time we changed the name of this website to “Flappy Tech”?
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