Fact check: Flappy Bird creator did not tweet about the pandemic in 2014

The claim: Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen tweeted about the pandemic in 2014

Flappy Bird, the arcade-style game released in 2013 in which players have to get a bird through a series of pipes, was a sought-after app among mobile users. 

But, the addictive nature of the game led creator Dong Nguyen to tweet in 2014 saying the game would be removed.

Now, social media users are sharing an image claiming that Nguyen included a line about the coronavirus pandemic in that tweet, too.

"In 2020 a deadly virus will ravage the globe. This is your punishment," the line of the tweet purportedly reads in an Instagram post shared Oct. 25.

"He knew," reads the caption of the post, which generated over 40,000 likes in less than three days.

But the image has been altered. Nguyen did not include the line about the pandemic in his original tweet.

Fact check:False claim that Halyna Hutchins tweeted about having evidence on Hillary Clinton

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment. 

Nguyen did not tweet about COVID-19

Nguyen confirmed to USA TODAY via email exchange that the tweet in the post is fake. His original tweet on Feb. 8, 2014, does not include a line about the pandemic.

"I am sorry 'Flappy Bird' users, 22 hours from now, I will take 'Flappy Bird' down. I cannot take this anymore," he tweeted.

Media coverage of Nguyen's tweet also does not mention a pandemic. Nguyen tweeted that he decided to remove the game despite its popularity, but there wasn't much explanation beyond that, according to Business Insider. 

Flappy Bird was released by the Vietnamese video game-developer .GEARS in May 2013, and rose to popularity on both iTunes and Google Play download charts. 

Nguyen told USA TODAY in 2014 via email exchange that one reason for the game's popularity was people "sharing their scores on social networks."

Fact check:Image of Ben Shapiro tweet about Columbus Day manipulated

In an interview with Forbes, Nguyen said that the app had become an "addictive product" and he had taken down the game "forever." He also added that his life "had not been as comfortable" as it was before the game was released.

Our rating: Altered

Based on our research, we rate ALTERED an image claiming Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen tweeted about the pandemic in 2014. Nguyen's original tweet does not have a line about the pandemic.

Our fact-check sources:

• Dong Nguyen, Feb. 8, 2014, Tweet
• Dong Nguyen, Oct. 29, Email exchange with USA TODAY
• Forbes, Feb. 11, 2014, Exclusive: Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Says App 'Gone Forever' Because It Was 'An Addictive Product'
• USA TODAY, Feb. 11, 2014, 'Flappy Bird' creator cites 'addiction' for pulling game
• .Gears, accessed Oct. 28, Flappy Bird
• Business Insider, Feb. 9, 2014, Flappy Bird is officially dead
• Business Insider, Feb. 21, 2014, Video Allegedly Shows What Happens When You Get To Level 999 In Flappy Bird

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.