Many were shocked and disappointed when the popular Flappy Bird game was taken off Google Play and the App Store for download.
I had not downloaded the game myself, but over the past week I seemed to keep seeing people playing it everywhere: a colleague at his desk on lunch-break, commuters on the tube, children out in restaurants.
Luckily, these people who have already downloaded the game will still be able to play it. But alas, it is too late for me to jump on the Flappy Bird bandwagon.
However, the game’s retirement has given it such substantial press coverage, people are flocking to the App Store to see what the alternatives are.
Indeed, a game by TapTomic called Fly Birdie – Flappy Bird flier, has shot straight to the top of App Store chart for free downloads despite a mixed bag of reviews.
One reviewer wrote: "I like this game but Flappy Birds was only so addictive because it was so hard. This game just makes it really easy. I don’t get it."
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Another reviewer game the game a one star rating, saying that even one out of five was generous for the "poor imitation of Flappy Bird."
Nevertheless, TapTomic will be reaping the rewards from advertising revenue that Flappy Birds creator Nguyen Ha Dong will now be missing out on since he decided to take the games down.
