While Flappy Bird is deleted from the Apple app Store and Google Play last weekend, hackers are taking advantage by releasing fake versions of the popular mobile game.
Global security provider Trend Micro are warning Android users not to install versions of Flappy Bird found in alternative app stores as they may contain malware that could lead to unwanted charges on their phone bills.
On Feb. 8, the game's Vietnamese creator, Dong Nguyen, notified users he was taking the game down. "I cannot take this anymore," he tweeted. Flappy Bird disappeared the following day.
The reaction to the news has been very negative, some fans have even threatened to kill the creator if the app isn't restored.
There were also death hoaxes spread across the internet about the suicide of Dong Nguyen. The news spread four days ago, just after the game was taken offline by the developer.
"Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed," Dong Nguyen told Forbes magazine, "but it happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem. To solve that problem, it's best to take down Flappy Bird. It's gone forever."
The gaming concept for Flappy Bird is very simple. You simply tap your screen to flap as you guide your bird through the spaces between pipes to get a high score. But playing the game is annoyingly difficult and requires extreme concentration.
Many may still wonder why Flappy Bird became so popular. Nguyen was reportedly making $50,000 per day from advertisement of the app because it became so popular. It first appeared in Apple's iOS store on May 24, 2013, and briefly made the top 1,000 in one of the categories, Family. It was not until January 2014 that suddenly reached the list of most popular free apps on Apple's App Store.
Nguyen has several other top app store games, including Super Ball Juggling and Shuriken Block, which are currently #6 and #18 on the iOS store, respectively. Nguyen told Forbes that he has no plans to remove those games, which he termed "harmless."
"I still make games for myself to enjoy first and share with other people through mobile app stores," he said. "The way I make games is still the same, I want to keep the process of making simple."
