Flappy Bird, the Asia-based app phenomenon is now not only the number one app in the iOS App Store, but it has overtaken game sensation Angry Birds. In the top spot in over 100 countries, the app comes from a developer based in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi.
What’s more, the game was designed by one Vietnamese man, beating likes of Supercell and Rovio single-handedly. Many developers have tried to duplicate Angry Birds, releasing new levels, adding a three-point star system, buying packages for more levels and making a full-blown brand new franchise with the Star Wars versions. Others have taken the principles of the game and applied it to their own games. However, Rovio paved the way, defining and packaging the principles of mobile gaming success in the same way that King did with Candy Crush.
Angry Birds was the 52nd game produced by Rovio, so it comes as a surprise that Flappy Bird made it in such a tough marketplace first time. The theory is that because the game does not duplicate previous game mechanics, with the added bonus of being a free app, that people see this as something new. Some say the game’s success is a fluke; that lone developer Dong Nguyen struck lucky. However, the game brings a whole new set of lessons (and addictions) for casual gamers.
The smartphone-tapping sensation is not the only game by Nguyen in the top ten, Super Ball Juggling and Shuriken Block also have top spots. Additionally, there are also three more games on his website that may be coming to devices soon including Smashing Kitty, Droplet Shuffle and Ninja Assault. All signs point towards there being plenty more to come from his Vietnamese developer.
Read more about Flappy Bird here.
