The Dancing Hotdog Android game starring the hot dog from Snapchat‘s recently added augmented reality (AR) filter was removed from the Google Play Store only days after being listed on the largest marketplace for Android apps on the planet. The Venice, Los Angeles-based social media giant never commented on the creation in any capacity but apparently filed a takedown request with Google shortly after the product made its way online. The game itself was a relatively simple platformer similar to Flappy Bird, had an extremely high difficulty curve, and was available for download free of charge, though it shipped with plenty of in-app ads that showed every time the player died. Given how the product wasn’t affiliated with Snap and its social network in any way, it was likely taken down on the basis of intellectual property (IP) theft, meaning that any earnings the game made will never be paid to its creator(s).
The developer behind Dancing Hotdog — Gold Coast Apps — has a portfolio filled with apps based on topical memes and other fads, including a game starring a fidget spinner and another one based on the “damn Daniel” meme. The company is located in Chicago’s John Hancock Center and has been active since last year, with its apps previously being downloaded a few million times in total on both Android and iOS. The iOS port of Dancing Hotdog is still live on Apple’s App Store as of this writing, though Snap is likely already working on taking it down. Gold Coast Apps doesn’t have an official website or any social media presence and didn’t comment on the latest turn of events. While its game was swiftly removed from the Google Play Store, its publisher account seemingly wasn’t penalized by the Mountain View, California-based tech giant, as all of the firm’s other games can still be downloaded from the digital marketplace.
The dancing hot dog itself became popular among Snapchat’s user base earlier this month, shortly after the company added it as a filter option to the app. The digital frankfurter is presently a subject of numerous memes that transcended Snapchat and are being shared on a broad range of social networks, essentially serving as free advertisements for the platform.