Tetris celebrates 30 years as the world's favorite puzzle game
After three decades, billions of points and far too many of those useless Z-shaped monstrosities that always arrive at the worst possible moment, the universally-beloved puzzle game Tetris is now celebrating its thirtieth birthday.
Originally conceived by Alexey Pajitnov during the final years of the Cold War, Tetris did what so many other Soviet creations could never manage: It escaped the Iron Curtain and proved an even bigger hit in the international market, reportedly selling more than 150 million copies since it debuted in 1984. Nintendo owes much of the success of the original GameBoy - and its success as a company - to Pajitnov's puzzler, as it was the handheld's "must own" game from its debut all the way up until 1996, when that title was usurped by a certain fuzzy, electric rat.
"I never imagined Tetris was going to be this successful, but the simple, yet addicting nature of Tetris still has me playing it a few times every week," said Pajitnov. "I meet fans from around the world who are also as passionate about Tetris as me, and there is no doubt in my mind Tetris will continue to expand and bring its classic appeal to new players in new ways and on new devices, whatever they may be."
To officially celebrate this milestone, Ubisoft plans to debut Tetris Ultimate on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC later this year.
[Image: Nintendo]
