The History of Tetris

1984
- Tetris is born in Moscow. Russian scientist Alexey Pajitnov develops the very first version of Tetris on an Electronica 60.
1985
- Tetris is ported to the IBM PC and quickly spreads throughout the Soviet Union
1987
- Tetris launches on PCs in North America and Europe - the first step in its global expansion beyond the Soviet Union.
1988
- Video game designer and publisher Henk Rogers discovers Tetris at a Las Vegas trade show and is instantly hooked on the game. Soon after, Henk's company, Bullet-Proof Software, releases Tetris on the PC and NES in Japan. It becomes a "software blockbuster" selling over two million copies.
1989
- Henk Rogers meets Alexey Pajitnov for the first time and they immediately become friends.
- Henk Rogers secures the handheld rights to Tetris. He then licenses those rights to Nintendo.
- Nintendo launches the Game Boy platform with one packed in cartridge - Tetris. Over 35 million copies are sold.
- The Software Publisher’s Association awards Tetris four Excellence in Software Awards, which were then considered the "Oscars" for the software industry.
1992
- Scientific research suggests Tetris can make the brain operate more efficiently.
1995
- Henk Rogers establishes Blue Planet Software, which becomes the exclusive agent for Tetris.
1996
- The Tetris Company is formed and becomes the exclusive source of all licenses to Tetris.
- The Tetris Guidelines are created to establish consistency and quality standards for Tetris.
1997
- Artist Roger Dean designs a bold and distinctive logo for Tetris.
2000
- DTI Software helps Tetris take off with In-Flight Tetris. In time, Tetris will fly on over 50 airlines worldwide.
- Tetris finds success with new handheld game formats when Radica releases Tetris on its standalone handheld devices.
- G-mode publishes Tetris on mobile phones in Japan. Tetris goes on to become the #1 mobile phone game in the Japanese market.
2002
- Henk Rogers establishes Blue Lava Wireless to develop Tetris for mobile devices in North America. Tetris rapidly gains momentum in the mobile market in North America and with strategic partnerships in Korea and Europe becomes the leader in mobile games
2005
- Jamdat purchases Blue Lava Wireless and obtains an exclusive, worldwide 15-year license to publish Tetris on mobile devices.
2006
- EA purchases Jamdat and becomes the new exclusive licensee of Tetris for mobile devices.
- Tetris for the iPod is launched and instantly becomes Apple's #1 downloaded game.
- Nintendo launches Tetris for DS and sells over two million copies worldwide.
2007
- Alexey Pajitnov receives the First Penguin Award at the Game Developers Conference. Tetris is widely recognized as the game that gave birth to the casual games industry.
2008
- A study by Emily Holmes, Ph.D., of Oxford suggests that Tetris may help treat patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Tetris Online, Inc. releases Tetris Party on the Wii. Tetris Party soon climbs to the #1 spot for WiiWare downloads and is nominated for Best WiiWare Game 2008 and Best Puzzle Game 2008 by IGN.
- EA Mobile releases Tetris for the iPhone/iPod touch. It is currently one of the All-Time Top 10 Paid Applications on the Apple iTunes App Store.
- NHN Hangame launches a new online multiplayer Tetris in Korea and it quickly becomes the #1 casual game in Korea.
2009
- Tetris Online, Inc. unveils the first official Web-based Tetris game site Tetris Friends Online Games (www.tetrisfriends.com), which currently attracts more than 1.5 million unique monthly users.
- Tetris celebrates its 25th anniversary!
- Alexey Pajitnov receives the honorary award at the LARA - Der Deutsche Games Award in Cologne, Germany.
- Brain imaging shows that playing Tetris leads to both brain efficiency and a thicker cortex.
2010
- April - iPad Tetris Launch, featuring bold HD graphics and an all new intuitive D-pad controls.
- June - Tetris Party Deluxe for the Wii and DS Launch! Featuring over 20 game play modes!
- September - Tetris launches Merchandising line. Now you can express your love of Tetris anywhere!
- December - Release of Tetris for the Playstation Network to critic acclaim.

Fun Facts

Tetris has even been played on the sides of buildings! The record for the world’s largest working game of Tetris belongs to the Dutch students of the Delft University of Technology, who in 1995, lit up 15 floors of their Electrical Engineering Department.
In 2006, Honda released an awesome commercial for the Honda Jazz in Europe where pieces of furniture and luggage were organized to fit like Tetriminos into the trunk of the vehicle.
Have someone teach you how to play Tetris! In 2009, Tetris training lessons were advertised on Craigslist in Vancouver, Canada offering sessions for beginners and more advanced players.
Even artists love Tetris! In January 2009, an outdoor art exhibit in Sydney, Australia featured giant Tetrimino sculptures that lit up the corridors of Abercrombie Lane.

1989

1989 The Software Publisher’s Association awards Tetris four Excellence in Software Awards, which were then considered the “Oscars” for the software industry.

1997

Tetris comes in #1 in Electronic Gaming Monthly's 100th issue.

2001

Game Informer Magazine's 100th issue lists Tetris in the #3 spot on its “Top 100 Game of All Time.”

2006

Electronic Gaming Monthly ranks Tetris #4 in “The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time.”

2007

Alexey Pajitnov receives the First Penguin Award at the Game Developers Conference. Tetris is widely recognized as the game that gave birth to the casual gaming industry.