Tetris is one of the most played video games in human history. More than 500 million copies have been sold or downloaded across every platform imaginable — from ancient Game Boys to modern smartphones. But the story of who actually owns Tetris is as dramatic as anything the game itself could produce — involving a Soviet scientist, a Cold War bureaucracy, a Dutch-American entrepreneur, a landmark Nintendo deal, and a decades-long fight to give the game’s creator what he rightfully deserved.
Who Owns Tetris Right Now in 2026?
Tetris is owned by The Tetris Company, Inc. (TTC) — a private American company co-owned equally by Alexey Pajitnov, the original creator of Tetris, and Henk Rogers, the entrepreneur who brought it to the world. The Tetris Company is the exclusive licensor of Tetris worldwide, managing all commercial rights to the brand.
The deeper ownership structure works through two connected entities. Tetris Holding, LLC is the company that actually holds the worldwide rights to Tetris — and it is owned 50/50 by Alexey Pajitnov and Henk Rogers. The Tetris Company, Inc. operates as the exclusive licensee of Tetris Holding, LLC, managing all commercial licensing to game developers, platforms, and merchandise partners worldwide. The current President and CEO of The Tetris Company is Maya Rogers — daughter of Henk Rogers — who runs the day-to-day operations of the business.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Party | Role | Stake | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexey Pajitnov | Co-Owner & Game Creator | 50% of Tetris Holding LLC | Original inventor of Tetris in 1984; co-owns all worldwide rights |
| Henk Rogers | Co-Owner & Founder | 50% of Tetris Holding LLC | Secured global rights in 1989; co-founded The Tetris Company in 1996 |
| Tetris Holding, LLC | Ultimate Rights Holder | Owns 100% of worldwide Tetris IP | Entity holding all copyright, trademark, and trade dress rights globally |
| The Tetris Company, Inc. (TTC) | Exclusive Worldwide Licensor | Exclusive licensee of Tetris Holding LLC | Issues all Tetris licenses globally; headquartered in Nevada |
| Maya Rogers | President & CEO | Management role (no separate ownership) | Daughter of Henk Rogers; leads TTC day-to-day operations |
| Soviet Government / ELORG | Former Rights Holder | Exited fully by 2005 | Controlled Tetris rights 1984–1996; ELORG’s final stake bought for $15M in January 2005 |
| No public shareholders | N/A | Private company | Tetris is 100% privately owned; no stock exchange listing |
The Origin Story: A Soviet Puzzle That Changed the World
In the summer of 1984, a young software engineer named Alexey Leonidovich Pajitnov was sitting at a computer at the Dorodnitsyn Computing Centre of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow. His job that day was mundane — test a new computer called the Elektronika 60. To do it, he wrote a simple game based on a childhood puzzle he loved, involving falling shapes that had to be arranged without gaps.
That game was Tetris. Within days, it was spreading across the institute’s computers. Within months, it was being passed on floppy disks across the entire Soviet Union. Within years, it would become the best-selling video game franchise in history.
But there was one devastating catch. Because Pajitnov created Tetris while working for a Soviet government institution, he had no legal option but to hand the rights to his own game over to the state. For over a decade, Tetris made millions for governments, publishers, and distributors — and its creator received absolutely nothing.
Henk Rogers and the Game Boy Deal That Changed Everything
The story of how Tetris escaped the Soviet Union involves one of the most dramatic business negotiations in the history of the games industry.
In early 1988, a Dutch-American software entrepreneur named Henk Rogers attended a trade show in Las Vegas and spotted Tetris being demonstrated. He was instantly captivated. Rogers immediately understood that this game — if it could be secured for Nintendo’s upcoming handheld console, the Game Boy — would be something truly extraordinary.
What followed was a race against time involving multiple competing companies, a suspicious Soviet government agency called ELORG, and Rogers literally flying to Moscow at the height of the Cold War to negotiate in person. Through sheer determination — and a genuine friendship he formed with Pajitnov during those Moscow meetings — Rogers successfully secured the exclusive worldwide console and handheld rights to Tetris for Nintendo. The Game Boy launched in 1989 bundled with Tetris, and it became the best-selling handheld gaming device in history.
During those Moscow negotiations, Rogers befriended Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, and eventually helped him and his family relocate to the United States after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
How Pajitnov Finally Got His Rights Back
For the first decade of Tetris’ existence, Alexey Pajitnov received no royalties — a fact that stands as one of the great injustices in the history of video games.
That changed in the mid-1990s when the original 10-year agreement that Pajitnov had signed with the Soviet Academy of Sciences expired. With the Soviet Union already dissolved, the rights finally reverted to Pajitnov himself. In 1996, Pajitnov and Rogers — now close friends — formed The Tetris Company together to manage the worldwide licensing of Tetris for the first time as true co-owners.
On January 21, 2005, ELORG’s remaining share in The Tetris Company was sold to Henk Rogers for $15 million. The rights were then placed into the newly created Tetris Holding, LLC, owned equally 50/50 by Pajitnov and Rogers — a structure that remains in place today. For the first time in its history, Tetris belonged entirely to the man who created it and the man who set it free.
The Tetris Company Today: How It Works
The Tetris Company does not make games itself. Instead, it licenses the Tetris brand, gameplay rules, and visual identity to other game developers and platforms — and collects royalties on every deal. Every game that uses the Tetris name, the famous Tetromino shapes, or the distinctive gameplay must be licensed through TTC and must meet a set of official Tetris Guidelines.
This licensing model has made The Tetris Company one of the most valuable intellectual property operations in gaming. The company was estimated to be worth over $500 million as of 2023, driven by licensing revenue from mobile games, console titles, merchandise, and brand partnerships. Notable licensed games include Tetris Effect, Tetris 99 (developed by Arika, published by Nintendo), and the official Tetris app.
Maya Rogers, daughter of co-founder Henk Rogers, serves as President and CEO of The Tetris Company, ensuring that the family’s stewardship of this extraordinary brand continues into its next generation.
Does Russia Own Tetris?
This is one of the most commonly asked questions about Tetris — and the answer is a clear no.
Russia does not own Tetris. The Soviet government technically held the rights from 1984 to 1996, through the state agency ELORG. After the Soviet Union collapsed and Pajitnov’s original agreement expired, the rights reverted entirely to Pajitnov personally. The last remaining ELORG stake was purchased by Henk Rogers for $15 million in 2005, completely ending any Russian government connection to Tetris ownership. Today, Tetris is owned by two private individuals — one Russian-American, one Dutch-American — through their jointly held companies based in the United States.
Tetris by the Numbers: The Scale of a Global Icon
The numbers behind Tetris are almost incomprehensible for a game invented on a Soviet minicomputer with no graphics and no color.
Tetris is the best-selling video game franchise in history. It has been released on over 65 different gaming platforms — more than any other game ever made. The mobile version alone was the top-selling mobile game in the entire industry in 2006. Over 30 scientific studies have been conducted on Tetris, showing the game has positive effects on PTSD and brain efficiency, can be used to treat amblyopia (lazy eye), and may help control cravings and diet. In December 2023, a 13-year-old American named Willis Gibson became the first person to reach the “kill screen” — the point where the game crashes after level 157, long considered impossible to reach.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Tetris in 2026?
Tetris is co-owned equally by Alexey Pajitnov and Henk Rogers through Tetris Holding, LLC, with The Tetris Company, Inc. serving as the exclusive worldwide licensor.
Q2. Who created Tetris and when?
Alexey Pajitnov created Tetris in the summer of 1984 while working at the Dorodnitsyn Computing Centre of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow.
Q3. Did Russia ever own Tetris?
Yes — but not anymore. The Soviet government held rights from 1984 to 1996. The last remaining government stake was purchased by Henk Rogers for $15 million in January 2005.
Q4. Who is the CEO of The Tetris Company in 2026?
Maya Rogers, daughter of co-founder Henk Rogers, serves as President and CEO of The Tetris Company, Inc.
Q5. How much is The Tetris Company worth?
The Tetris Company was estimated to be worth over $500 million as of 2023, driven by global licensing revenue across games, mobile, and merchandise.
Q6. Did Alexey Pajitnov receive royalties when Tetris launched?
No. For over a decade, Pajitnov received no royalties because the Soviet government owned his creation. He only began earning from it after 1996 when he co-founded The Tetris Company with Henk Rogers.
Q7. How many copies of Tetris have been sold?
Tetris is the best-selling video game franchise in history, with over 500 million copies sold or downloaded across more than 65 different gaming platforms.
Q8. Is The Tetris Company publicly traded?
No. The Tetris Company is a 100% private company, with no stock exchange listing and no public shareholders.
Tetris is owned by Tetris Holding, LLC — a company jointly owned 50/50 by Alexey Pajitnov, the game’s creator, and Henk Rogers, the entrepreneur who secured its global rights. The Tetris Company, Inc. (TTC), headquartered in Nevada, acts as the exclusive worldwide licensor of the brand and is run by Maya Rogers, Henk’s daughter.
The company has been fully private since 2005, when the last remaining ELORG stake was bought out for $15 million, ending all Soviet/Russian government connections to the game permanently.
From a Soviet computer lab in 1984 to the best-selling video game franchise in history — the story of who owns Tetris is as remarkable as the game itself.