Flappy Bird Returns in an Unexpected Way

Back in 2014, Flappy Bird was one of the most popular and memetic mobile games. With simple visuals and even simpler one-touch gameplay, it went viral and started enjoying enormous fame almost immediately after the release. It became even more of a cult when its developer Dong Nguyen removed it from app stores, feeling guilty for the addiction he had caused with it. And now… it’s back.

We’re not speaking those clones that stormed app stores following the success of the original. Now the game is available as an extended notification in MacOS – where you never expected it to appear. It looks familiar, popping up in a small window shaped like a smartphone screen. The origin of this unusual game was not the mobile game by Dong Nguyen, but its web version developed by Play Canvas.

Not that Nguyen has changed his mind: another person is responsible for this unexpected comeback. The one who brought it back is Neil Sardesai who decided to make this use of the new MacOS Notification Extensions feature. After he tweeted about this mod, he was almost immediately asked whether he can make a DOOM extension, hinting at the ubiquitous nature of that 1990s’ game. As for the developer of the original Flappy Bird, he did not react at all.