Tetris Is Turning The Big 4-0 This Year … Well, Sort Of

If you’re a Millennial or Gen Xer who wants to feel old, just take a look at how long the video games you grew up playing have been around. One of the most influential of these titles was Tetris, which debuted in the ‘80s and was a mainstay on Nintendo’s handheld Game Boy.

But when it comes to determining exactly how old the game actually is, there’s more than a little disagreement.

Deciphering the documents

Ask anyone who’s entering their mid- to late-30s and they’ll probably be quick to point out that they’re not 40 … yet. And despite some reports insisting that Tetris is hitting that milestone this year, there’s some evidence to suggest that it's still a thirtysomething.

Here’s a quick timeline detailing how the game’s official launch date has become mired in uncertainty:

• Pre-2009: Everything published during these years — including the Tetris copyright registration — shows that it was released in 1985.
• 2009: In June of this year, a public relations firm apparently wanted to capitalize on a “25th anniversary” edition and listed its release year as 1984.
• Post-2009: In the years since, confusion has reigned, fueled by the fact that now the Tetris Corporation claims the game launched in 1984.

So when do we celebrate?

If you’re a big Tetris fan, it probably doesn’t matter whether it’s 39 or 40. But if you’re a stickler for accuracy, it’s a pretty safe bet to assume that the game you know and love didn’t become playable until 1985.

Even its creator, Alexey Pajitnov, has signaled that his work was completed in that year — and it’s not unprecedented for PR firms to fudge the facts a bit in order to come up with the perfect marketing gimmick.

And as for the ubiquitous Game Boy version, that didn’t surface until 1989.

Chris Agee June 22nd, 2024

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