This year marks the 40th anniversary of Tetris, the iconic puzzle game that has captivated millions around the globe. In 1984, Alexey Pajitnov, a young Soviet researcher at the Computing Center of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow, invented the game. Pajitnov, feeling disillusioned with his routine work, sought to channel his mathematical skills into creating something new—a computer game to commemorate the Tetris 40th anniversary.
On June 6, 1984, the first prototype of Tetris was launched on the Soviet-made Elektronika 60 computer. Later, Pajitnov recalled in a 2011 interview with BBC’s Witness History that the initial response was overwhelmingly positive. Indeed, he noted, “Everyone was curious and wanted to try it. Everyone loved the game, including myself.
Tetris is based on the classic five-block game concept, where players must fit falling geometric shapes into a continuous grid without leaving gaps. This simple yet addictive gameplay quickly gained popularity, even in the Soviet Union, where personal computers were scarce. The game spread among computer users as they copied it from one machine to another. This popularity is well-deserved as we celebrate the Tetris 40th anniversary.
The journey of Tetris beyond the Iron Curtain is a tale worthy of a spy novel. A British software manufacturer discovered the game in Hungary and negotiated distribution rights with the Soviet government. Before long, people in Europe and the United States were playing Tetris at home. The rise of handheld gaming platforms in the late 1980s, like the Game Boy, provided a new avenue for its success and contributed to the Tetris 40th anniversary celebrations.
In 1989, Henk Rogers, an American software producer working for a Japanese company, recognized Tetris’s potential in the market. He aimed to port the game from bulky computers to handheld devices but needed to secure the rights from Pajitnov. This led him on an adventurous journey to Moscow, where he navigated the complexities of post-Cold War relations.
Initially, Rogers found Moscow’s winter bleak and unwelcoming. With no information readily available, he sought the office of Elektronorgtechnica (Elorg), the Soviet organization responsible for hardware and software exports. After hiring a translator, Rogers made a bold move to enter the office alone. His request to purchase Tetris’s rights created a stir among the officials.
Despite initial skepticism from Soviet officials about Western concepts like intellectual property, Rogers’s determination won them over. Pajitnov later noted the difference between Rogers and other businessmen he had encountered. He remarked that Rogers truly understood the core of the gaming industry. This understanding helped solidify the success we celebrate on the Tetris 40th anniversary.
After a week of negotiations, Rogers and Pajitnov signed an unprecedented contract, ensuring that the Soviet programmer would receive royalties from Tetris’s overseas sales. This contract was a revelation to the Soviet officials, who had never seen such terms before. Pajitnov found himself on a path to financial success, eventually moving to the United States in the mid-1990s and establishing a company with Rogers.
