Why did the creator of Flappy Bird remove the hit game from download services? It was "an addictive product," he tells Forbes. "Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed," notes Dong Nguyen, 29. But "I think it has become a problem. To solve that problem, it’s best to take down Flappy Bird. It’s gone forever." Nguyen denies word he received a warning letter from Nintendo over the game, whose pipes looked a lot like those of a certain pair of brother plumbers.
The Forbes interview—conducted in Vietnamese in a Hanoi hotel—was an odd one, writes staffer Lan Anh Nguyen. The magazine wasn't allowed to show Dong Nguyen's face, and the interview was postponed because the developer had a "sudden" appointment with the deputy prime minister. During the 45-minute interview, Nguyen smoked multiple cigarettes and sketched monkey heads. He says he felt guilty about the game and was unable to sleep; its success made his life less "comfortable." But he reaffirms that he plans to keep making games. "After the success of Flappy Bird, I feel more confident, and I have freedom to do what I want to do." (More Flappy Bird stories.)