In 1984, during the Cold War, a Russian programmer named Alexey Pajitnov created something special: A puzzle game called Tetris. It soon gained a cult following within the Soviet Union. A battle for the rights to publish Tetris erupted when the game crossed the Iron Curtain. Tetris not only took the video game industry by storm, but it also helped break the boundaries between the United States and the Soviet Union. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Introduction 01:49 - Part 1: Pajitnov 10:03 - Part 2: Into the West 17:19 - Part 3: The Red Box 23:50 - Part 4: Enter Nintendo 33:38 - Part 5: Capitalism 44:12 - Part 6: Endgame 55:38 - End Credits Corrections: In 1995, AcademySoft and Elorg's license to Tetris expired but Elorg had filed copyright and trademark registrations for Tetris around the world and claimed it controlled the rights to Tetris. Henk Rogers founded Blue Planet Software and partnered with Alexey Pajitnov. In 1996, Blue Planet Software and Elorg (through an affiliate) formed The Tetris Company, LLC to serve as the exclusive licensor of Tetris so that the Tetris brand could continue to be commercialized. Over 425 million copies of Tetris have been sold on the mobile platform alone. Henk and Alexey founded Tetris Holding and in 2005 acquired Elorg and all of its assets for $15 million. End Credits Music by Andrew Lippens - https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/andrewlippens2 Telex machine footage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nHfztP9Qqs Original Tetris footage provided by Sergei Frolov - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0gAgQQHFcQ ▶️ Subscribe | null 🤟 Support the show | https://www.patreon.com/gaminghistorian Follow Gaming Historian: 🐦 Twitter | https://www.twitter.com/gaminghistorian 💻 Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/gaminghistorian 🕹️ Twitch | https://www.twitch.tv/gaminghistorian 📷 Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/gaminghistorian 🧵 Threads | https://www.threads.net/@gaminghistorian For a list of sources, visit https://www.thegaminghistorian.com/ #Tetris #Nintendo #GamingHistorian