The Cold War thriller behind the world's most addictive puzzle game

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The 2023 film Tetris dramatizes the high-stakes legal battle to secure rights for the iconic video game. While the movie captures the spirit of the race between Nintendo, Atari, and Soviet officials, it blends historical reality with Hollywood invention, including a high-speed car chase that never actually occurred.

The film centers on Henk Rogers, a Dutch entrepreneur who discovered Tetris at the 1988 Consumer Electronics Show. Rogers, portrayed by Taron Egerton, navigated a complex web of international licensing disputes involving British entrepreneur Robert Stein, Robert Maxwell’s Mirrorsoft, and ELORG, the Soviet agency that owned the game. The narrative highlights the intense pressure Rogers faced while negotiating in Moscow, a city he visited despite the risks of operating within the Soviet system.

Director Jon S. Baird, who led the production, aimed to create a fast-paced thriller rather than a traditional video game adaptation. Because the COVID-19 pandemic prevented filming in Moscow, the production utilized locations across Scotland, including Glasgow and Aberdeen, to replicate the Soviet capital. The team even used the University of Aberdeen’s Zoology Building to stand in for ELORG headquarters, supported by £500,000 from Screen Scotland.

While the film is emotionally and spiritually aligned with the true story, both Rogers and the game's creator, Alexey Pajitnov, acknowledge that it takes significant creative liberties. For instance, the film depicts a dramatic car chase during Rogers's exit from the Soviet Union, which did not happen. Additionally, the film's portrayal of the interpreter as a covert KGB agent was a dramatization. Despite these exaggerations, the film highlights the genuine, pivotal partnership between Rogers and Pajitnov, who eventually co-founded The Tetris Company.

The film’s release on Apple TV+ in March 2023 sparked both critical interest and legal scrutiny. In August 2023, author Dan Ackerman sued Apple, alleging the film copied his 2016 book, The Tetris Effect. The court rejected his claim for $4.8 million in damages. Ultimately, the film serves as a stylized exploration of a geopolitical era, using the 8-bit aesthetic of the original game to frame a story of corporate ambition and international tension.

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