A viral Instagram post allegedly shows “Flappy Bird” creator Dong Nguyen tweeting in 2014: “In 2020 a deadly virus will ravage the globe. This is your punishment.”

 

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Verdict: False

The image has been doctored to include the sentence about a “deadly virus” and the sentence about “punishment.”

Fact Check

Nguyen, the creator of “Flappy Bird,” released the popular mobile game back in 2013. He explained to Forbes that he removed the game from the App Store and Google Play in February 2014 because it had become an “addictive product” and his life “has not been as comfortable” as before its release.

Now, a viral Instagram post allegedly shows a Feb. 8, 2014, tweet from Nguyen that reads, “I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down. I cannot take this anymore. In 2020 a deadly virus will ravage the globe. This is your punishment.”

But, contrary to what the image suggests, the “Flappy Bird” creator did not predict the COVID-19 pandemic in that tweet. A search of his Twitter timeline for the phrase “deadly virus” yields no results. In the actual Feb. 8, 2014 tweet where Nguyen announced the removal of “Flappy Bird,” it mentions neither a “deadly virus” nor “punishment.”

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

The doctored image adds the sentence about a “deadly virus” in 2020 and the sentence about “your punishment” to it. (RELATED: Did Halyna Hutchins Tweet, ‘I Have Information That Will Lead To Hillary Clinton’s Arrest’?)

Check Your Fact reached out to Nguyen for comment and will update this piece if a response is provided.