Free game that went viral is making surprise comeback ten years after it was mysteriously removed & teases new features

A HUGELY popular game that was dramatically pulled ten years ago is set to make a sensational comeback.

Flappy Bird was a viral hit in 2014 and went on to wrack up 100million downloads.

Alamy

Original Flappy Bird was downloaded more than 100m times[/caption]

Alamy

A group of fans claim to have obtained the rights to the game[/caption]

Flappy Bird Foundation

Revived Flappy Bird will apparently have new challenges and features[/caption]

At its height, the addictive game was making $50k/£38k a day from in-app ads.

But the notoriety took its toll on lone creator Dong Nguyen, so he decided to delete Flappy Bird in February 2014.

“I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down,” he tweeted at the time.

“I cannot take this anymore.”

The drastic move shocked the world, causing people to sell phones with the game already installed on eBay for thousands.

It also led to hundreds of clones flooding app stores.

Now, ten years on, Flappy Bird looks set to fly back onto iPhone and Android.

But things may not quite be as we remember it.

While the iconic bird is returning to screens, players will notice new game modes, characters and “massive multiplayer challenges”.

This is expected to include a rivals mode where gamers can challenge 99 other players.

Flappy Bird is being revived by the Flappy Bird Foundation, which describes itself as a “dedicated team of passionate fans and industry veterans”.

However, original creator Nguyen is not part of the project and has not commented on the revival, leading to questions about the new game’s authenticity.

The foundation claims to have acquired the official Flappy Bird trademark rights from a company called Gametech Holdings LLC – which Nguyen doesn’t own.

They also claim to have the rights for the original game and character Piou Piou vs. Cactus, the mobile title that has long been credited as originally inspiring the iconic bird.

Michael Roberts, the chief creative behind Flappy Bird’s return, said: “We are beyond excited to be bringing back Flappy Bird and delivering a fresh experience that will keep players engaged for years to come. We have big plans for our little Bird!”

The relaunched Flappy Bird is set to land on Android and iOS in 2025.