Flappy Bird: Game over - Version History

What this episode covers

Flappy Bird was a mean game. It was extremely simple and yet punishingly difficult; if you could get 10 points, that meant you were pretty good! For a few weeks, the game became an absolute global phenomenon — and in the process, both made its creator a ton of money and kind of ruined his life. On this episode of Version History, David Pierce, Jake Kastrenakes, and Game File’s Stephen Totilo explain the wild rise of Flappy Bird, the enormous backlash to this very simple game, and how it changed our relationship to games, and game makers, forever. Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed. We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Version History?

This episode is 1 hour and 18 minutes long.

When was this Version History episode published?

This episode was published on January 4, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Flappy Bird was a mean game. It was extremely simple and yet punishingly difficult; if you could get 10 points, that meant you were pretty good! For a few weeks, the game became an absolute global phenomenon — and in the process, both made its...

Can I download this Version History episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.