Flappy Bird Creator Set to Release New 'Swing Copters' Game This Thursday - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Flappy Bird Creator Set to Release New 'Swing Copters' Game This Thursday

by

Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen is preparing to launch a new iOS game in the near future, called Swing Copters. Previewed exclusively by our sister site TouchArcade, Swing Copters adopts the ultra tough Flappy Bird-style gameplay, adding new mechanics and a fresh skin.

In Swing Copters, players are tasked with navigating platforms with swinging hammers while climbing upwards towards the sky, a deviation from the original side-scrolling gameplay in Flappy Bird. According to TouchArcade editor-in-chief Eli Hodapp, Swing Copters emulates the "one more try" gameplay of Flappy Bird while being even more "brutally difficult."

That five point run that I busted out at the start? That's the best I've done so far, and that two minutes worth of video is basically my magnum opus as of this writing. Swing Copters is hard. Just getting through the gates themselves would be tricky enough, but adding in the swinging hammer things below them is just ridiculous, particularly as you're desperately trying to control your guy as he wildly swings from one direction to the other.

...But, like Flappy Bird, I love it. It feels like it's got all the same qualities that made Flappy Bird so sticky for me. Once you see even the smallest bit of success in the game, you can't help but play again, and again, and again, always trying to (in my case, anyway) top that amazing five point flight.

Back in March, Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen promised that the once popular game that spawned thousands of clones would return to the App Store in August. It is unclear whether Swing Copters is Nguyen's replacement for Flappy Bird or if Flappy Bird will also return to the App Store at some point.

Flappy Bird's incredible success in early 2014 prompted Nguyen to pull the game from the App Store in February, after the attention and media requests became overwhelming. At the height of its popularity, Flappy Bird was generating upwards of $50,000 per day. Nguyen also expressed concern over the response he was getting from parents and children, causing him to believe the game was simply too addictive. One woman reportedly told him he was "distracting the children of the world."

Nguyen has said that he would ensure that any future version of Flappy Bird would be "less addictive." He also suggested it would include multiplayer gameplay, but Swing Copters does not appear to include multiplayer capabilities at this time.

Swing Copters is set to be released this Thursday, August 21. The game will be a free download with a $0.99 in-app purchase to remove ads.

Top Rated Comments

Dilster3k Avatar
157 months ago
This Flappy **** news has to stop.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0815 Avatar
157 months ago
So if this one becomes another success - does he also pull it because he can't take all of the attention and feels bad for the addicted people? Or did he change is mind and thinks now that money is more important than feeling bad about peoples game addiction?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CrAkD Avatar
157 months ago
Mothers of the world better pray I never create a game that's "too addictive" cause if it's earning $50k a day someone would have to kill me to get it taken down.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BerMuc Avatar
157 months ago
lets see when he starts whining again...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
157 months ago
Okay, so it's flappy bird vertical edition.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
157 months ago
Flappy Rumors.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

All Screen iPhone 2030 Feature Sans Text

iPhone 18 Pro: Nine Reasons Not to Upgrade This Year

Monday September 7, 2026 5:01 am PDT by
Apple is set to unveil new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models on Wednesday, September 9, and the devices are expected to feature a design that's largely similar to the iPhone 17 Pro models, with a peppering of enhancements inside. Major changes are not expected until next year, when Apple is expected to introduce a radically redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone. If you're thinking of...
apple surprise and shine event

Apple Event Tomorrow: iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra Cheat Sheet

Tuesday September 8, 2026 10:24 am PDT by
Apple's biggest event of the year is almost here, and all eyes are on Cupertino. With the first foldable iPhone expected to headline Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event on Wednesday, September 9, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, the rumor mill has been running full throttle, fuelled by the biggest single design change in the life of the iPhone. To get you up to speed, here's a quick reference...
apple watch series 12

Leak Hints at Four New Features for Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4

Monday September 7, 2026 8:57 am PDT by
Ahead of the announcement of the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 later this week, code in the watchOS 27 and iOS 27 betas points to a series of new features for the product line. The information comes from a new post from MacRumors forums member "pdfu." The findings include: New "Readiness" app: An all-new separate Watch app referred to in code as "Readiness," distinct from the...