Why the creator of Flappy Bird pulled the game from sale

Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen pulled the top-selling game from sale because it had become an "addictive product", he's said.

In an interview with Forbes - his first since he removed the game from the App Store and Google Play Store over the weekend - the 29-year-old Vietnamese indie developer stressed Flappy Bird would not return to sale.

"Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed," he said.

"But it happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem. To solve that problem, it's best to take down Flappy Bird. It's gone forever."

Nguyen's decision to remove the game from sale surprised many given it was generating a reported $50,000 a day. His announcement, made on Twitter, sparked death threats from some.

Twitter told Eurogamer this week that it doesn't comment on individual accounts for privacy reasons, and that it doesn't proactively monitor the social platform for abuse on account of the sheer volume of tweets made each day. Rather, it's up to those who suffer abuse to report it in order for Twitter to take action. Nguyen's message to disappointed fans: "Thank you very much for playing my game."

Flappy Bird has also been accused of ripping off the Super Mario series, with the inclusion of green pipes in the background coming in for particular stick. Nguyen insisted the similarity of the pipes was a coincidence, and denied Nintendo had threatened him with legal action. Nintendo has also denied this.

"My life has not been as comfortable as I was before," he continued. "I couldn't sleep. I don't think it's a mistake. I have thought it through."

While it looks like Flappy Bird is no more, Nguyen vowed to make more games: "After the success of Flappy Bird, I feel more confident, and I have freedom to do what I want to do."