Alexey Pajitnov, a Russian computer scientist, created Tetris in 1984 while working at the Dorodnitsyn Computing Centre of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow12. Inspired by his favorite childhood puzzle game featuring pentominoes, Pajitnov adapted the concept to use shapes made of four squares, which he called "tetrominoes"13. The game's name combines the Greek numerical prefix "tetra" (four) with "tennis," Pajitnov's favorite sport2. Initially programmed using only spaces and brackets due to the Electronika 60 computer's limitations, Tetris quickly spread among Pajitnov's colleagues, who became addicted to the game, leading to its ban in some Moscow institutes to restore employee productivity1.

The development of Tetris progressed rapidly after Pajitnov's initial prototype on the Electronika 60. While the original version quickly gained popularity among Pajitnov's colleagues, it was limited by the hardware's capabilities. To expand the game's reach, Pajitnov collaborated with fellow researchers Dmitry Pavlovsky and Vadim Gerasimov to port Tetris to the IBM PC. Gerasimov, remarkably only 16 years old at the time, played a crucial role in adapting the game over several weeks2. This PC version, written in Turbo Pascal, incorporated color graphics and a scoreboard, significantly enhancing the game's appeal2. Pavlovsky further contributed by implementing a high score table, adding a competitive element to the gameplay5. The IBM PC port marked a significant milestone in Tetris' development, making it more accessible and setting the stage for its global popularity.

Tetris' journey to the West began when it spread from the Soviet Union to Hungary, where it caught the attention of Robert Stein, a British software entrepreneur, at a computer expo. Recognizing the game's potential, Stein sought to acquire distribution rights for Western markets. However, the licensing process was complex due to Soviet regulations. Stein initially believed he had secured full rights to distribute Tetris through a Telex agreement with Pajitnov, but this was not legally binding in the Soviet Union4. The Soviet state trading firm Elektronorgtechnica (ELORG) actually owned the rights to Tetris, complicating negotiations4. This led to a convoluted situation where multiple companies believed they held various distribution rights, setting the stage for future legal battles over the game's licensing34.

Tetris achieved global success through a complex web of licensing agreements and strategic partnerships. Mirrorsoft in the UK and Spectrum HoloByte in the US were the first to publish commercial versions of Tetris in the West in 1987 and 1988, releasing ports for popular home computers like the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 642. These early versions emphasized the game's Soviet origins in their packaging and marketing2. The game's popularity exploded when Nintendo secured the handheld and console rights through Henk Rogers, leading to Tetris becoming a launch title for the Game Boy in 198924. This move proved instrumental in Tetris' worldwide success, with the Game Boy version alone selling over 35 million copies3. By 2014, the Tetris franchise had amassed over 425 million paid downloads on mobile platforms, cementing its status as one of the most successful video game franchises in history3.