A photo of the Vietnamese creator of the smash-hit game “Flappy Bird”

Feb 11, 2014 12:28 GMT  ·  By
Nguyen Ha Dong, the Vietnamese software developer behind the controversial Flappy Bird
   Nguyen Ha Dong, the Vietnamese software developer behind the controversial Flappy Bird

Nguyen Ha Dong, the Vietnamese software developer behind the controversial Flappy Bird, has agreed to be interviewed by major publications around the globe, but not to be photographed or filmed for the publishing of the articles.

This image from Agence France-Presse/Getty Images is the only press asset you’re likely to find on the web. The 29-year-old developer refused to have his picture taken when being interviewed by Forbes and the Wall Street Journal.

We covered the first interview, but Dong had a little more to say to the financial newspaper.

Apparently, all Mr. Dong wants to do is make games, “and the attention that Flappy Bird garnered badly crimped his style,” according to the paper. Based on information supplied by Dong, WSJ also reports the following:

“He still lives at home with his parents in Hanoi, but finds it difficult to walk down the street in his neighborhood without being pestered. He says he has virtually disconnected himself from the Internet and hasn't checked his email in days. He is also on vacation from his day job writing firmware for sophisticated computer hardware and said he isn't sure if or when he will return to work.”

Flappy Bird’s success turned into an ordeal for Mr. Dong, who says that his life has become “extremely uncomfortable,” and that he is waiting for it to return to normal.