Flappy Bird was originally discontinued on February in 2014 and pulled from the App Store and Google Play Store, it will see a relaunch on IOS and Android devices under new ownership. Gametech Holdings acquired the rights after its creator, Taiwanese developer Dong Nguyen didn't claim the intellectual property. The original trademark was terminated on January 12th, 2024. 

I AM BACK!! Just a decade ago, I was the talk of the town and soaring to new heights with my 100 million friends.

Sadly, I had to leave the fame and spotlight behind to go home and find out who I really am. Thanks to my super Flappy Bird® fans, I’m refreshed, reinvigorated, and ready to soar again. The decade-long mission involved acquiring legal rights and even working with my predecessor to uncage me and re-hatch the official Flappy Bird® game!

I AM BACK!!

Just a decade ago, I was the talk of the town and soaring to new heights with my 100 million friends. Sadly, I had to leave the fame and spotlight behind to go home and find out who I really am.

Thanks to my super Flappy Bird® fans, I’m refreshed, reinvigorated,… pic.twitter.com/b4UaFZQA2r

— Flappy Bird (@flappy_bird) September 12, 2024

Gametech Holdings filed against Nguyen and acquired Flappy Bird for free. Nguyen originally discontinued the game after feeling guilty over the addictive nature of its play. Prior to its shocking removal from storefronts in 2014, Nguyen tweeted at the time "I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down. I cannot take this anymore." 

This relaunch appears to have ties to Solana, a cryptocurrency and blockchain platform that deploys the centralization and minting of NFTs. It's now under the umbrella of "the Flappy Bird Foundation" and the game's relaunch will boast new features and characters. This expanded version is expected to launch by the end of October, with the iOS and Android versions expected to launch in 2025.

Between the potential of being a crypto scheme and the trademark filing, the unnecessarily hostile "takeover" of sorts of Flappy Bird puts a damper on its revival, especially after Nguyen discontinued it for prudent reasons.