PODCAST
The story of Tetris is that of an addictive brick game, but it is also the story of a man: the Russian scientist Alekseï Pajitnov, a lover of puzzles, games and people. A man who did not embark on this adventure, sometimes incredible, out of greed. And for good reason. He waited 20 years to collect fees on his creation. This grotesque situation, he explains in the third episode of "GAMERS", the new podcast of Europe 1 Studio which returns to the secret history of cult video games.
Tetris stolen by the English?
In 1987, a few years after Tetris' invention in a laboratory at the Moscow Academy of Sciences, Robert Stein, a British entrepreneur, smelled the goose that laid the golden egg before everyone else. He decides to distribute the game in Europe. And too bad if they do not have the official agreement of Alekseï Pajitnov.
"Mr. Stein had written a very short telex to the Academy of Sciences in which he proposed to publish a version of the game. He assured us that with the royalties we could buy some computers," recalls Alekseï Pajitnov. "I replied very positively that I was delighted with his interest, that we could negotiate. He considered that it was an agreement to distribute the game in Europe!"
Still years without any compensation
And on the old continent success is immediate! In the process, Robert Stein cedes the rights to the game - which still does not belong to him - so that it is marketed in the United States. In fact, it will sign an agreement with the Academy of Sciences of Moscow only in 1988. This agreement grants to Robert Stein the rights of the play on PC, arcade machines and on the consoles for a duration of ten years. But he does not plan to pay Alekseï Pajitnov, who did not achieve the success that the game already enjoyed at the time.
But a few months later, another actor appeared. Nintendo is exploiting a legal loophole and is also signing an agreement with the USSR - which has meanwhile set up a body responsible for video game rights in the Soviet Union - for the rights to Tetris, Game Boy version. It will be a hit! But, once again, Alekseï Pajitnov will not benefit from it…
In fact, it was not until 1995 that the creator of Tetris received royalties on his creation, and only 50%! And it will not be until 20 years later, in 2015 that he will become full owner of the rights to the game. "When we were able to get rid of all these people who worked on Tetris for the sake of gain, it was really great", remembers Alekseï Pajitnov, still a philosopher. "Then we could just focus on Tetris and just do our best."
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