Flappy Bird creator says that he has nothing to do with zombies returning in the game. 'I did no sell anything'

Flappy Bird is making a surprise comeback. The viral hit of 2014 was announced last week. The creator of the game, Dong Nguyen, was conspicuously absent from the announcement. And the more you dig into the apparent reboot, the more murkier it becomes. Trademark shenanigans and a new "foundation", behind the relaunch. Oh my.

Nguyen's first public statement in 7 years confirms that he is not involved with the relaunch of Flappy Bird and does not believe he sold any rights.

Nguyen writes on social media: "No, I do not have any relation [sic] to their game." "I did nothing. "I also do not support crypto."

Nguyen’s reaction to Flappy Bird’s overwhelming success in 2014 was surprising. Nguyen recalled the game from sale at the height of its popularity, claiming that it was a "success of mine". It also ruins my life. "I hate it now."

In our original report we detailed how Flappy Bird became the subject of an ongoing trademark dispute between Nguyen, a Delaware-based firm called Gametech and the United States. The short version is that Nguyen does not appear to have taken any action to defend the trademark and it was eventually awarded by Gametech after many years.

The Flappy Bird Foundation is "a new team passionate fans committed to share the game with the World" who claim to "have spearheaded the acquisition of an official trademark." This is the group behind the relaunched Flappy Bird. Michael Roberts is the key figure behind Gametech and Flappy Bird Foundation. A developer with a keen interest in NFTs and Crypto, Roberts describes himself as the "chief creator" behind the game’s return.

The Flappy Bird Foundation wants to make this sound heroic: "The decade long mission involved acquiring the legal rights, and even working with my previous to uncage and rehatch Flappy Bird's official game!" The confusing reference "my predecessor" refers to a game with similar mechanics called Piou Piou that predated Flappy Bird. Its creator has been roped in to this project as a way to lend it a veneer of historical legitimacy.

The community notes crowd has taken to the official social media account of the reboot, and every announcement is now accompanied by a warning about trademarks and ownership.

There are many questions about this relaunch and I don't think we will all like the answers. I've sent a number of questions to the Flappy Bird Foundation and contacted Nguyen representatives. I will update this post with any responses.