Though allegations that Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen copied art assets from Nintendo have run rampant since its debut, the Japanese gaming giant claims to have had no role in this weekend's removal of the smash-hit iOS game.

"While we usually do not comment on the rumors and speculations, we have already denied the speculation," a Nintendo spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal.

Nguyen has remained relatively silent on his motivations for removing Flappy Bird, though in his tweet announcing the game's de-listing, Nguyen states, "I cannot take this anymore." It's unclear what exactly Nguyen is referencing there, though a Twitter search for the phrase "Flappy Bird" returns thousands of harassing tweets alongside numerous articles decrying the independent developer for intellectual property theft. [Image: Dong Nguyen]