The very definition of viral success, Flappy Bird reached astronomical levels of popularity on its release on the App Store in 2013, allegedly earning its maker Dong Nguyen over $50,000 per day from advertising revenue alone. This was despite critics lambasting the design of the game, including the infamous difficulty levels. Defying criticism, gamers downloaded the app in droves and Flappy Bird hit its peak in January 2014 as it became the most downloaded App on the App Store. Despite the success, the games creator felt compelled to remove the game from the App Store, revealing his guilt at creating such an addictive app which was only meant to be played occasionally. As of writing, Flappy Bird has yet to return to the App Store but its legacy lives on in the countless clones flooding the App Store, attempting to emulate the originals success while Nguyen continues to produce new games.
