It’s not often you hear about someone walking away from a fountain of riches just because the product they’re peddling happens to be super addictive — just ask Philip-Morris. However, that’s exactly why Don Nguyen pulled the plugged on Flappy Bird back in February, according to an interview with Forbes Magazine. His life was also getting a bit uncomfortable due to its uber popularity, which may have played a large part as well.
However, according to TechCrunch, Nguyen promised a return of the game in August, and apparently made good on his word — albeit in modified form. The game now adds a multiplayer element, as well as floating enemies, as opposed to its more minimalist original design. The design is reportedly an effort to make the game “less addictive.”
Flappy Birds Family may make its way to other formats, but for now, it’s exclusive to the newly released FireTV. While it’s not all that ubiquitous a product at this stage, the FireTV does make some sense as a platform. Amazon put a big focus on gaming for its streaming player, and there is also a full controller available for the device. And with Nguyen’s seeming fear of fame, maybe Amazon makes the perfect home for the new game. There’s certainly a lot less chance of an all-out explosion of downloaders akin to the original game’s release. Still, it’s a strange choice of platform for Flappy Birds to fly back to, and we can’t help but wonder if Amazon may have sweetened the deal for Nguyen with some cash for the exclusivity.
If you happen to be one of the early adopters of Amazon’s shiny new streaming box, you can download Flappy Birds Family from Amazon starting today.
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