The Next Game

Inigo stared at the numbers on his screen, his mind processing everything that had happened over the past few weeks. Flappy Bird was still riding an unbelievable high—millions of active players, hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad revenue pouring in daily, and big corporations fighting to get a piece of the action.

But he wasn't naïve. He knew this kind of hype wouldn't last forever.

Every viral game had an expiration date.

People would get bored. They would rage-quit one too many times, break their phones, or simply move on to something else.

If he wanted to stay ahead, he needed to think beyond Flappy Bird.

His fingers drummed on his desk, deep in thought.

What could possibly follow up the most frustratingly simple mobile game ever made?

His eyes drifted to the bright yellow bird bouncing idly on his phone screen.

Birds.

That was the key.

People loved birds. There was something inherently funny about them—awkward, clumsy, and yet weirdly determined creatures. Flappy Bird had proven that a tiny pixelated bird could entertain millions just by struggling to fly through pipes.

So what if… the next game also had birds?

Not flapping this time.

No.

Angry birds.

Inigo opened his browser and started typing.

Physics-based mobile games.

He needed inspiration. Something different from Flappy Bird, but just as addictive.

He scrolled through articles, game design discussions, and old Flash games that had once taken over the internet. And then he found it.

A simple slingshot physics game from years ago, where players launched objects to knock down structures. It wasn't anything revolutionary—just some basic mechanics using gravity and impact to create satisfying destruction.

But in Inigo's mind, he saw potential.

What if he combined that concept with his current theme?

Instead of a random object being launched… it would be birds.

Instead of generic structures to knock down… there would be enemies to defeat.

Suddenly, the vision became clear.

A game where birds were the heroes, using their own bodies as weapons to attack enemies who had stolen their eggs.

Simple. Easy to understand. And most importantly—endlessly fun.

Inigo cracked his knuckles and opened Unity 3D.

The first step was the slingshot mechanic.

In Flappy Bird, the only player interaction was tapping the screen to make the bird flap. This time, he needed something different—a touch-and-drag control system that felt natural on mobile screens.

He started coding the basics:

When the player taps the slingshot, a trajectory line appears.

As they drag back, the line adjusts to show where the bird will fly.

When they release, the bird launches forward with a realistic arc, based on how far they pulled back.

At first, the physics were janky.

The bird either shot off at insane speeds, flying off the screen, or it just plopped to the ground pathetically.

But after tweaking the velocity calculations and adjusting the gravity settings, he found the sweet spot.

A smooth, satisfying pull-and-release motion.

It felt good.

Next, he needed targets—something for the birds to destroy.

Instead of pipes like in Flappy Bird, he created breakable structures made of:

Wooden planks – easy to break.

Glass panels – shattered on impact.

Stone blocks – required heavier hits.

The fun came from watching things crumble.

When a bird crashed into a wooden structure, the pieces splintered apart realistically. Glass shattered into tiny fragments. Stone blocks cracked but held together, requiring more force to bring them down.

And then came the enemies.

Instead of obstacles, the birds needed a reason to attack.

He created small, round creatures with goofy expressions—cartoonish but just irritating enough to make players want to destroy them.

He programmed them to:

Smirk confidently when untouched.

Look nervous when structures started shaking.

Widen their eyes in panic just before impact.

Explode in a puff of smoke when hit.

It was hilarious.

Even as he tested the game, he found himself smiling.

The sight of a bird slamming into a tower, watching it collapse and the enemies comically flying off the screen, was pure chaos and fun.

If Flappy Bird had taught him anything, it was that character mattered.

People got attached to the stupid little bird. They cursed at it, they cheered for it, they felt bad when it failed.

So for this new game, he needed multiple birds—each with its own personality and special ability.

He designed:

Red Bird – Basic, no special power. The classic starter.

Yellow Bird – Tapped the screen to speed up mid-air, breaking through barriers.

Black Bird – Exploded on impact, causing massive destruction.

Blue Bird – Split into three smaller birds when tapped, spreading damage.

Each bird would add a new layer of strategy, making the game more than just random slingshot shots.

Players would need to think, aim carefully, and use the right bird for the right situation.

By 3 AM, the prototype was functional.

The gameplay loop was there. The slingshot worked. The physics were satisfying.

But Inigo knew that making a great game wasn't enough.

He needed to hype it up.

Just like he had done with Flappy Bird, he had to play with curiosity.

Instead of a flashy announcement, he kept it mysterious.

He uploaded a single black-and-white teaser image to his masked profile:

A silhouette of a bird, mid-flight, heading toward a collapsing structure.

No title. No description.

Just two words:

"It's coming."

Within hours, the gaming community was buzzing.

"Flappy Bird Dev just posted this. What does it mean?!" — Reddit

"New game confirmed?! What's he making?!" — Twitter

"Look at the image. That's a bird… but not flapping. What if it's a different kind of game?" — YouTube theory videos

People speculated wildly.

Some thought he was making a Flappy Bird sequel. Others guessed it was a completely new genre.

And that was exactly what he wanted.

Inigo leaned back, satisfied.

He had just started the next big mobile gaming revolution before anyone even realized it.

Flappy Bird had dominated the world.

Now?

Angry Birds would rewrite history.