No matter how old you are, you’ve probably played Tetris or one of its many adaptations. It’s a simple and addictive game and it also helps improve vision and brain speed. Alekséi Pázhitnov’s name may not be as recognized as other iconic personalities, but behind him and his main creation, Tetris, lies a story so fascinating that it became the plot of an Apple TV+ movie.
The Origin of Tetris: Moscow, 1984
In fact, in 1984, the same year that Steve Jobs showed the world the first Mac, Alekséi Pázhitnov created Tetris. This little game consists of placing different square shapes one after the other by falling randomly. Today, it is a very basic game, but In the 80s, it was a milestone under Nintendo license. But let’s not anticipate events.
Aleksei Pázhitnov was a software engineer in Moscow and while working at the Academy of Sciences he created Tetris. For this was based on a traditional puzzle
Physical game Pentamin, the origin of Tetris
The game became a success, but it did not bring in a single ruble.
Let’s keep in mind that this was the middle of the Soviet Union era, so that everything citizens created belonged to the stateThis meant that even though Aleksei Pázhitnov had created Tetris and it had started to be sold, the rights and revenues went to the Soviet government.
The game became so popular that Western companies began to take an interest in it. All a fight for licenses and distribution rights It went beyond Tetris. It became a “war” between communism and capitalism. In the late 1980s, the Russian government began selling the rights to Tetris to companies like Atari and Nintendo. Sales from which Aleksei Pázhitnov received nothing.
One of the key moments in the history of Tetris was the sale of the rights to Nintendo. As incredible as it may seem, Nintendo has decided to include a version of Tetris on its Game BoyIt became a phenomenon, selling over 35 million copies and cementing the game’s status as a cultural icon.
Negotiations with Nintendo on Apple TV+ Tetris movie
Twelve years later, he managed to start making money with Tetris
It was in 1991, when Aleksei Pazhitnov emigrated to the United States looking for new opportunities away from the already dissolving Soviet Union. Five years after arriving in Seattle, Tetris’ rights were finally his and Henk Rogers, the Dutch businessman who negotiated the sale of the rights to Tetris to Nintendo.
Both create The Tetris Companythe company that has since controlled all worldwide commercial rights to Tetris. This is how Aleksei Pázhitnov became a millionaire, while Tetris continued to generate millions and millions of dollars in sales, rights and merchandising.
The Tetris Movie on Apple TV+
In this article we have very quickly summarized the incredible history of the most famous video game in the world. And behind a few simple falling squares There is a plot that deserves a movieThe film was released in the Apple TV+ catalog in 2023 and was very well received by critics and fans of the platform.
About two hours of film full of tension, suspense and lots of retro technology. Whether you played Tetris as a child, or are interested in the history of the Soviet Union and technology, this is a movie we recommend you watch. No doubt, you will enjoy it a lot.
Images | Apple
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