In a surprise move, Dong Nguyen, Vietnam-based maker of Flappy Bird, has pulled the wildly popular game from app stores. Players who already have the game, can continue to play. Flappy Bird had soared to the top of charts in both iOS and Android. The game was reportedly making $50,000 a day from advertising. 

I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down. I cannot take this anymore.

— Dong Nguyen (@dongatory) February 8, 2014

If you are looking for explanations, none are forthcoming. Mr. Nguyen did not explain why he was removing the game, beyond saying in a tweet that he ‘cannot take this anymore.’ There were no legal issues, nor does he intend to sell the game, he said on Twitter.

Fans worldwide are not taking the news too well. Reactions are varying from urgent pleas to restore the game, to death threats if he does not. The internet is buzzing with speculation and possible theories. Flappy Bird was influenced by Nintendo’s Mario Bros, and some say he may have been facing legal action. Others see this as a marketing move, a tactic to make even more money with a new game in the future.

Phones loaded with the Flappy Bird game are being sold on eBay for hundreds of dollars, with some sellers asking for thousands of dollars. If you want to fork out $10,000 or even $20,000 for a cell phone with Flappy Bird, you can do so now. But hurry, even at that price range, there appear to be bids.

Mr. Nguyen works with .Gears, a small, independent game developer based in Vietnam.

[Image courtesy: Dong Nguyen]