The sudden popularity of mobile hit Flappy Bird isn’t the only thing soaring.Several auctions have popped up on the online marketplace eBay featuring iPhones that included an installed copy of Flappy Bird, which was removed from app stores by its developer after it skyrocketed to the top of the Google Play and Apple App Store.
Some listings for the smartphones feature bids reaching hundreds and thousands of dollars, including one with a top bid of $99,900. We’ve reached out to eBay to determine whether this listing and some of the other high-price auctions are legitimate.
On Sunday, game developer Dong Nguyen removed Flappy Bird, which surged to the top of the Games charts on both iTunes and Google Play. A series of previous tweets from Nguyen’s Twitter account suggest the developer may have grown uncomfortable with the sudden attention his game attracted.
“Press people are overrating the success of my games,” said Nguyen in a tweet on Feburary 4. “It is something I never want. Please give me peace.”
Flappy Bird stars a tiny bird that players must fly between a series of green pipes sprouting from the top and bottom of the screen. Players must tap the touchscreen to keep the bird airborne. Along with visuals reminiscent of classic video games, the game also gained a reputation for being very difficult.
UPDATE at 1:53 p.m. ET: The link to the $99,900 auction now redirects to a search for refurbished iPhone 4 smartphones.
