honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, August 21, 2009

Gaming sites abuzz about Tetris


Advertiser Staff

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Henk Rogers

spacer spacer

Honolulu-based Tetris Online Inc. has formed a partnership with a New Jersey company to launch two new video games next spring that can be played on the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms.

Tetris Online, founded by local entrepreneur Henk Rogers, will team up with Majesco Entertainment Co. of Edison, N.J., to launch and distribute the two games, the specifics of which were not released.

"Majesco was a natural choice to help us bring the latest evolution of the Tetris franchise to market," Minoru Arakawa, president and chief executive officer of Tetris Online, said yesterday. "Their distribution strength and expertise in the mass market will help ensure that our upcoming Wii and Nintendo DS games reach as many fans as possible," he said.

The announcement created a buzz on gaming Web sites.

"Between the release of Tetris on iPhone and announcement of a PSP mini Tetris game from EA, and these two upcoming releases from Majesco, it's suddenly a wonderful time to like Tetris," wrote JC Fletcher of www.Nintendo.Joystiq.com.

The Web site Crispy gamer.com speculated that games will borrow themes from the original Tetris, a puzzle game that became a worldwide phenomenon.

"Further details on the new games were not divulged at press time, but one could imagine these games involve falling blocks, large L's and T's," according to www.Crispygamer.com.

The original Tetris was created 25 years ago in Russia by computer engineer Alexey Pajitnov. Rogers secured the rights to the game for consoles and handhelds, and licensed the game to Nintendo, where it became a worldwide sensation on the Nintendo Game Boy portable system.