Engadget found the massive setup over the weekend. Created by Bay Tek Games, the arcade version blows up the game normally seen on a phone or tablet to a 42-inch screen.
The cabinet, Mashable reports, is 91 inches (2.3 metres) tall and weighs 300 pounds. It operates by coin and will spit out tickets as well as record daily and all-time high scores. Bay Tek Games says the machine is officially licensed — it features the company name “Gears,” owned by Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen.
As expected, the machine — price tag currently unknown — will feature only one button, in alignment with the game’s simplicity. In Flappy Bird, users use the jump button to guide their bird through a series of obstacles at varying heights. Though simple in theory, the game can be surprisingly difficult.
For a simple mobile game, it has a surprisingly dramatic history. It first appeared in May 2013, but began to see massive popularity in December 2013. A mere two months later, Nguyen claimed he had had enough and pulled the app from iOS and Android stores, claiming its success had ruined his life (even if he was apparently making $50,000 a day from banner ads).
Since it went offline, a number of clones of the game have popped up, and the game even returned, though only to Amazon Fire TV.
Nguyen has since released one mobile game, Swing Copters, reviewed here on Digital Journal.
