Flappy Bird to return to the App Store in August with multiplayer feature

According to CNBC’s Kelly Evans, who spoke to developer Dong Nguyen, Flappy Bird will return to the App Store later this year with a new multi-player feature.  Though he didn’t provide a concrete date, Nguyen said the new version of the game could be ready as soon as August. 

Nguyen also told Evans that he is working to make the game less addictive. This addictive quality was one of the reasons Nguyen cited when he pulled the game from the App Store earlier this year. Besides working on a new version of Flappy Bird, Nguyen also has been working on other games, including one that allows the player to jump from building to building. These new details were gleaned from a series of tweets posted by both CNBC and Evans, who  was able to secure an interview with Nguyen, even though he prefers to avoid the spotlight. The clip will air sometime today on CNBC’s Closing Bell.

Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen tells @Kelly_Evans that he's bringing back Flappy Birds, but not soon; it'll have a multi-player feature.

— CNBC Social Team (@CNBCSocial) May 14, 2014

Flappy Bird's Dong Nguyen: Flappy Bird is coming back. Multiplayer. August. @CNBC

— Kelly Evans (@Kelly_Evans) May 14, 2014

#Flappybird creator says he is creating lots of #games. Next one guy jumping from building to buildings. #CNBC

— Donna Burton (@DonnaBurton) May 14, 2014

Flappy Bird was an unexpected smash hit that quickly climbed to the top of iOS App Store charts earlier this year and kicked off a social media craze surrounding the app. The game was known for its 8-bit graphics and difficult gameplay that challenged players to fly a small, yellow bird through a series of pipes. At the time of its removal, the game was generating over $50,000 a day in advertising revenue and was downloaded more than 50 million times.

Would you like to see Flappy Bird return?  Let us know in the comments.

[Via Business Insider]

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Facebook pulls its Poke and Camera apps from the iOS App Store

Facebook may be trying to diversify its app catalog with apps such as Messenger and Facebook Pages, but apparently not every Facebook-sanctioned app is worthy of a spot in the App Store. As noted by The Verge, the company today quietly removed its long-abandoned Poke messaging app and its Camera app that allowed users to upload photos to their Facebook account.

Both apps launched in 2012 and were infrequently updated, with Facebook Poke never seeing an update past its launch version. Facebook Camera received a few minor updates with the last one arriving in August 2013. Some of the features of the Camera app eventually were rolled into the main Facebook app, but the Poke app was all but forsaken by Facebook.

Facebook did not provide a reason for pulling Poke and Camera at this time, but it likely wanted to remove those apps that were being underutilized by its users. Facebook may be trimming its app catalog so users don’t stumble upon un-supported apps that provide a poor user experience. It also likely wants to stop supporting customers who download the abandoned apps and seek assistance when using them.

Facebook has struggled in the app marketplace, but the company has said it is committed to improving its mobile offerings. The company recently debuted its Facebook Paper app and acquired popular messaging service and app platform, WhatsApp. It also recently confirmed it was pulling messaging out the main Facebook app and integrating it into the company’s standalone Messenger app, a change that should bolster usage of its dedicated messaging app.

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Apple-Waze social mapping acquisition 'not happening'

Reports claiming that Apple could buy social mapping service Waze have been rescinded, with the source of the rumor now saying such a deal is "not happening."

Following up on its original report, TechCrunch said on Thursday that multiple sources have since indicated that Apple will not buy Waze. Author MG Siegler was reportedly told by multiple sources that "there is no deal happening… now or anytime soon."

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