Did the “Flappy Bird” Developer Commit Suicide?

A story circulating online tonight states that the developer of the game “Flappy Bird” has committed suicide. Is this real or fake?

The story is fake.

The article comes from the humorous website huzlers.com. The same website was responsible for another “Flappy Bird” rumor that went viral last week with a story that a teen killed his brother over the game.

In this fake story about the Flappy Bird developer, we read:

SAN FRANCISCO – Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen has just been found dead in his home with a gunshot wound in his head. Authorities are confirming that Nguyen committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with a pistol. Authorities are saying that the sensational game Flappy Bird had something to do with the suicide.

The fake news account was not reported by any reputable news source.

While the story about Nguyen committing suicide is a work of fiction, this “satire” falls on the heels of a number of odd tweets by the “Flappy Bird” developer who said he planned to take the game down because “I cannot take this anymore.”

About Huzler’s

Huzler’s description states, “Huzlers.com is a combination of real shocking news and satire news to keep its visitors in a state of disbelief.” The website appeared in late 2013 with fake stories about Vine star Lil Terio and Sharkeisha, who appeared in a viral YouTube video.

Note that it is our policy not to link to fake news or bad satire.

Bottom Line

The developer of “Flappy Bird” did not commit suicide, but he did announce that he was withdrawing the game. CNN reported that as of late Sunday, the game had disappeared from app stores.

Updated February 10, 2014