The well-known mobile game "Flappy Bird" will be relaunched in 2025, featuring new modes and characters. The game foundation announced on the X platform that the new game will debut on the Ton blockchain network. However, some players have shown decreased interest in the new game, believing it is related to cryptocurrency. The original developer, Dong Nguyen, clarified that he is not associated with the new game and does not support cryptocurrency. Additionally, trademark issues regarding the new game have also sparked controversy. "Flappy Bird" is a simple casual mobile game that became the most downloaded free game on the App Store in 2014. Despite being taken down, the game still enjoys a following among certain players. The new version of the game will monetize through in-app purchases and promises future airdrop tokens. However, some players are resistant to Web3 and cryptocurrency.

On September 12, the well-known entertainment and gaming media site IGN reported that the Flappy Bird Foundation has acquired the trademark and copyright for the viral mobile game "Flappy Bird" and plans to relaunch it in 2025 with new modes and characters added to the classic game. On the same day, the Flappy Bird Foundation also posted on the X platform stating "I AM BACK!!" but did not disclose specific details about the game. Nevertheless, it immediately attracted attention from the gaming community, with the tweet's views quickly surpassing 7 million, showcasing the game's influence.

"Official news! Flappy Bird has landed on Telegram!" On September 16, the Flappy Bird Foundation announced on the X platform that the new game is officially debuting as a Web3 version on the currently popular Ton blockchain network. However, interest in this news has significantly waned — many traditional players had already learned through social media that the "new Flappy Bird" is highly related to cryptocurrency, which seems to have dampened their enthusiasm.

During its decade-long silence, "Flappy Bird" became one of the most cloned games in history, and its return has sparked interest among many old players, including cybersecurity researcher Varun Biniwale, who immediately began researching the new game. In an article subsequently released by Varun, he stated that "the return of Flappy Bird seems somewhat suspicious."

The article pointed out that the original developer of "Flappy Bird" has no connection to the new game, and the project website contains elements of cryptocurrency and "Web 3.0." He also uncovered a suspected deleted page from late last year that promoted the game as follows: "The legendary Flappy Bird is back, and it will fly higher than ever on Solana because it has entered Web 3.0." This indicates that the Flappy Bird Foundation had intended to launch in the Solana ecosystem during its boom at the end of last year, rather than the current Ton network.

After the news of "Flappy Bird"'s return spread, the original developer Dong Nguyen, who had not posted content on the X platform for 7 years, clarified via a tweet that he has no relationship with the "new Flappy Bird," stating that he has not sold anything and does not support cryptocurrency.

Moreover, veteran players of "Flappy Bird" have left community notes on the relevant content released by the Flappy Bird Foundation, warning other players that this new game is not the same as the original version, using rather sharp wording. For instance, under the tweet announcing Flappy Bird's arrival on Telegram, one note cautioned: "This seems to be a cryptocurrency scam, exploiting fans' nostalgia for the game to sell NFTs."

Regarding the trademark issue of the game, court documents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office indicate that an American company named Gametech Holdings has filed a lawsuit against Dong Nguyen concerning the trademark of the game. It turns out that due to "Flappy Bird" being dormant for too long, the game was deemed abandoned, allowing Gametech Holdings to acquire the trademark rights for free, while the previously criticized Nguyen for his "inaction" had never attempted to reclaim the trademark. After obtaining the trademark, Gametech Holdings eventually transferred it to the so-called Flappy Bird Foundation.

"Flappy Bird" is a casual mobile game released in May 2013, developed by Vietnamese developer Dong Nguyen. This viral mini-game has a very simple mechanism, where players control a bird named Faby by tapping the screen to manage the bird's height to avoid hitting pipes; the game score is determined by the number of pipes they pass through. Nguyen completed the game in just two to three days.

In early 2014, just like the later WeChat mini-games "Jump Jump" and "Sheep Game" which quickly became popular, "Flappy Bird" saw a sudden surge in popularity, becoming the highest downloaded free iOS game on the App Store by the end of January. During this period, "Flappy Bird" earned $50 thousand daily through in-app advertisements and sales.

On February 10, 2014, "Flappy Bird" was removed from the App Store and Google Play. According to Dong Nguyen himself, he felt guilty for the game's addictive nature and overuse. Fame brought controversy; the viral success of "Flappy Bird" also faced much criticism from the public, including but not limited to its high difficulty, graphics, alleged game mechanic plagiarism, and strong addictive qualities.

However, even after "Flappy Bird" was taken down, some players were unable to "quit," which even led to phones that had the game installed before its removal being sold online at high prices. The urgent follow-up clone of "Flappy Bird" also became very popular on the App Store, but both Apple and Google removed it from their app stores due to its similarity to the original game.

Perhaps in response to the criticisms of "exploiting fans' nostalgia for the game to sell NFTs," the Flappy Bird Foundation has recently emphasized multiple times that the new game "will never have NFTs."Players' concerns are not unfounded. It is understood that the leader behind the Flappy Bird Foundation is game designer Michael Roberts, who is also the founder of the NFT project "Deez," which was launched in September 2021. According to the Flappy Bird Foundation, players can choose to "integrate Web3" while playing the game via Telegram, but users can also opt out. Furthermore, the version of the game that will be released on mobile platforms in the future will not include crypto features and is guaranteed to be free forever. According to Cointelegraph, the new version of the game will monetize through in-app transactions, with its in-app purchase plans "including buying more energy and items that can change flight physics." Additionally, a spokesperson for the production team behind the new game stated, "The game will also generate revenue from in-game ads," noting that in-game ads "are completely optional for players to watch," providing players with benefits such as score multipliers. Currently, the game is running a "Flap to Earn" promotional campaign and promises future airdrops of the $FLAP token. With the hottest projects in the Ton ecosystem, such as Catizen and Hamster Kombat, completing their airdrops, the Web3 version of Flappy Bird seems poised to take the lead. The success of the original game and its established player base indeed provides strong confidence for the subsequent development of the new version. However, on one hand, well-known traditional game IPs can be both a gimmick and a burden, and the resistance from traditional players towards Web3 and cryptocurrencies is not new. On the other hand, with community dissatisfaction arising from the airdrops of several major projects in the Ton ecosystem, it remains uncertain whether users will still have confidence to participate.

"Flappy Bird" will be re-launched on the Ton ecosystem, sparking player attention and controversy.