Tetris began as a Soviet computer experiment before becoming one of gaming’s biggest sensations. Its path to global fame ran through disputed licensing deals, Cold War-era negotiations, and Nintendo’s Game Boy boom.
1. Alexey Pajitnov Invents Tetris
The history of Tetris began at the Soviet Academy of Sciences within the former USSR in 1984. It was there that the software engineer Alexey Pajitnov invented a new puzzle game for testing a Soviet Electronika 60 computer. That game was based on the simple premise of organizing differently shaped falling blocks into neat lines. Pajitnov called that game Tetris.
With the assistance of one of his colleagues, Pajitnov ported his game to IBM PCs in 1985. This IBM PC port became the first true color version of Tetris, using the machine’s stronger display capabilities. The Soviet Academy of Sciences distributed free copies of Tetris throughout the USSR on floppy disks.
The original Tetris game
2. Andromeda Software Obtains Tetris Licensing Rights
Robert Stein, owner of the UK-based Andromeda Software company, visited Hungary during the 1980s. He noticed some people playing Tetris at the SZKI Institute of Computer Science in Hungary in 1986. Stein saw Tetris’ commercial potential and became interested in buying the licensing rights.
When Mr. Stein discovered who the Tetris creator was, he sent a text message to Pajitnov asking about purchasing the licensing rights for the game. Pajitnov replied by saying he was interested in a deal in principle. Although that was not necessarily a firm agreement, Robert Stein interpreted it as such and began sub-licensing Tetris to Spectrum HoloByte and Mirrorsoft.
A Tetris banner
However, Robert Stein had never heard of ELORG, the Soviet organization responsible for exporting software. Stein later recalled, “I didn’t even know they existed, never mind about their permission.” After Stein met ELORG in Moscow, the organization granted Andromeda Software official personal computer rights for Tetris.
Consequently, Spectrum HoloByte and Mirrorsoft were clear to sell Tetris in the USA and UK during 1988. The marketing of the game focused heavily on its mysterious Russian origins, as Tetris was officially the first Soviet-developed video game. It was a genuine cultural curiosity with players and critics alike immediately hooked by its hypnotic and addictive gameplay.
The 1988 Tetris game
3. Bullet-Proof Software Secures Tetris Rights in Japan
The history of Tetris took an interesting turn when Spectrum HoloByte showed off the game at a 1988 Las Vegas trade show. It was there that Henk Rogers, the Bullet-Proof Software founder, discovered the Tetris game. He recalls that Tetris “struck some basic cord” like no other game he had played.
Henk Rogers wanted to secure the Japanese console rights to Tetris for Bullet-Proof Software. However, Mirrorsoft had already sold console rights to Atari. Rogers camped out at Atari Games’ HQ so that he could discuss Tetris console rights with the company’s president. Atari agreed to sell Japanese console rights for the game to Bullet-Proof Software.
Henk Rogers thought he had secured official console rights for distributing Tetris on the NES. Bullet-Proof Software duly released Tetris on the Nintendo Famicom in 1988. It became a big hit on Nintendo’s console, with more than two million copies sold.
Tetris on the NES
4. Nintendo Ports Tetris to the Game Boy
The year 1989 was the most complicated period in the history of Tetris. That was the year Henk Rogers visited ELORG to meet its director, Nikolai Belikov, in Moscow to secure handheld rights for Nintendo’s portable Game Boy console. What he didn’t realize was that ELORG had never officially granted Tetris console rights to anybody.
When Rogers informed Belikov that Bullet-Proof Software had been selling Tetris on consoles, he was told that ELORG had only granted home computer rights to Robert Stein. Stein had wrongly assumed ELORG had granted home computer and console rights to Andromeda Software. In other words, Bullet-Proof Software’s console rights traced back through Andromeda, Mirrorsoft, and Atari Tengen, but ELORG had never officially approved that console chain.
Belikov’s response was to present a new contract to Robert Stein, who was seeking arcade and handheld rights to Tetris. That contract included higher penalties for delayed royalty payments and more clearly defined Andromeda Software’s Tetris rights to be solely for personal computers. Stein signed the contract without carefully reviewing the console rights clauses it contained.
The Tetris rights screen
That discovery became a turning point: the console and handheld rights were still open. After Henk Rogers befriended Alexey Pajitnov, ELORG granted Bullet-Proof Software the handheld rights to Tetris, while Nintendo of America moved to secure official console rights.
Thereafter, Bullet-Proof Software sub-licensed Nintendo to bundle Tetris with the Game Boy. With more than 35 million copies sold globally, the Game Boy version became the defining portable release of Tetris and helped popularize gaming on the go. This was the most definitive version of Tetris that perfectly fitted the Game Boy console and popularized gaming on the go.
Tetris on the Game Boy
5. Pajitnov Establishes Tetris Company
While Nintendo reaped millions from Tetris during the 1990s, Alexey Pajitnov didn’t receive any royalty share. However, Nintendo’s Tetris rights expired in 1995. Furthermore, ELORG had become a private company after the dissolution of the USSR.
The Tetris logo
To secure ownership of his game, Alexey Pajitnov emigrated to the USA and established Tetris Company in 1996, with the assistance of Henk Rogers. Tetris Company later acquired ELORG to obtain full rights to Pajitnov’s game. Today, Tetris Company sets official game standards and licenses the brand to developers.
The Tetris Company formation was the final chapter in the history of Tetris so far as intellectual property rights go. However, there have been many Tetris game releases during the 21st century with new features. These are some of the most notable Tetris games released:
- Tetris DS (2006)
- EA Mobile Tetris (2008)
- Puyo Puyo Tetris (2014)
- Tetris 99 (2019)
- Tetris Effect (2020)
- Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 (2020)
- Tetris Forever (2024)
Tetris Effect
Tetris remains fascinating because its legacy is both creative and legal: a simple Soviet puzzle became a worldwide brand only after years of disputed rights, handheld success, and continued reinvention through modern releases like Tetris Effect and Tetris Forever. Today, Tetris Effect and nostalgic Tetris Forever, which includes the 1984 Electronika 60 original, are among the best modern versions to play.
