Whatever is the reality about Flappy Bird, it is inconceivable for me that at the same time an IT world that is incredibly capitalist, interested in big earnings, VC moneys, and where success is measured in rounds and exits, at the same time, can't accept that: 1) A simple game can earn 50k and is deserved, if people like the game. 2) That there is no need to search at any cost some hidden reason to remove the game. 3) That one does not need to get insane and/or break to go away from money.
I don't think he "went insane". He received threats. He lives in a poor country (and probably violent) and likely doesn't want to raise flags as the guy earning 50k a day.
This is just first world people forgetting there are violent and politically delicate countries elsewhere, I guess.
Homicide rate might not correlate to robbery, harrassment, or extortion. Not to mention the political issue of richness in a nominally Communist nation.
Homicide would definitely seem to correlate with robbery and extortion, robbery by accident and extortion for the basic reason that otherwise it would be quite hard to extort as nobody would take you seriously.
I suspect that the issue of richness might be a social consideration, but they have a progressive tax code that goes up to 35% for those making more than ~ $45,000 per year and there do not appear to be any legal restrictions on maximum income.
Oh, and they have been nominally socialist since the late 80's when they got rid of the whole planned economy thing.
edit - I just thought, Vietnam strikes me as a particularly bad place to try and run an extortion racket. Whatever you try and threaten them with had better be bloody scary otherwise you run a serious risk of being laughed at by an old bloke with lots of tunneling experience.
He has several top games in the app store game section, I believe he had already a lot of money, so not earning more does not stop treats if that's the problem, and at this point he was already too popular. Actually removing the game made him a lot more popular. About poor countries: if you have money, you have power in poor countries, unlikely to get touched if you pay the right people a fraction of what you have.
Leaving your country is not a simple decision based on money. It means leaving your old life, friends and sometimes family behind. It's understandable he might not even consider this.
Are you suggesting that all non-Western countries civilians are living in fear for their life? This is a new level of ignorance. Even if you just meant Vietnam, believe or not, a lot of things have changed in the last few decades.
No. Not everyone in "non-Western countries" wants to move to a "Western country." That being said, someone that may not normally want to relocate to a "Western country" may have a desire to do so if they have significant fear of their life in their own country.
I don't think he really feared for his life, what seems much more likely, especially given his statements about the media, is that he thought that people were being complete dicks, so he took his ball and left.
