Tetris Creator Alexey Pajitnov & Henk Rogers on What the Movie Gets Right
466In 1984, a computer programmer in Moscow, Alexey Pajitnov, created what would soon become one of the world’s most iconic puzzle games. A working relationship with Henk Rogers, head of a software company at the time, would see this simply genius game skyrocket to the masses in a licensing agreement with Nintendo. Almost four decades later, the two would serve as executive producers for Jon S. Baird’s feature film, starring Taron Egerton, aptly-titled Tetris, which tells the incredible and unbelievable story of how they retrieved the rights to this game from the Soviet Union. Before the world premiere, Pajitnov, who is portrayed in the movie by Nikita Efremov, and Rogers (Egerton) sat down to chat with Collider’s Steve Weintraub.
During their conversation, they tell us how Tetris, now available to stream on Apple TV+, was a moving and touching experience to see on the big screen and how impressive it was to see a year and a half of their lives condensed to what Rogers called a “thriller on steroids.” They tell us their favorite way to play Tetris, what levels they’ve reached, and Pajitnov reveals which of his games he’s “really proud of.” The duo tease plans for the game’s upcoming 40th anniversary, share how the videogame development industry has changed since it’s infancy in the ‘80s, and how things they did then are “unthinkable” today, and touch on the psychology of why Tetris’ legacy has lasted decades.
You can find out more in the player above, or read the full conversation below. For even more on the film, check out Ross Bonaime’s review that promises this wild biopic “...proves that truth is stranger than fiction.”
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