Hiroshi Yamauchi, the former head of Nintendo, was not necessarily known for his generous nature. However, one game impressed him so much that he supported it.
The title image is a symbolic image by Joey Velasquez via Pixabay.
Which game is it? We are talking about Tetris, the ultimate gaming classic. Worldwide, the franchise has reportedly sold over 520 million units. However, nothing hinted at that when Henk Rogers, whose company marketed the rights to Tetris, approached the head of Nintendo at that time to ask for his help.
On April 1, 2025, Rogers’ memoirs were published under the title “The Perfect Game—Tetris: From Russia With Love.” In it, he provides readers with insights into the tumultuous history behind the gaming classic.
Rogers was, alongside Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, one of the key figures in the early history of the game.
A “Nintendo Seal of Quality” was almost created for Tetris
What a story it was! At that time, Rogers was living in Japan and had managed to build a relationship with the then head of Nintendo, Hiroshi Yamauchi. Both shared a passion for the board game Go.
So, when Rogers was having trouble distributing Tetris, he turned to the Nintendo boss. In an interview with PC Gamer, he explained: “I went to Mr. Yamauchi because I felt I needed a minimum order quantity of 200,000 [cartridges] for the game to be a hit.”
However, the distributors of Tetris had only managed to reach 40,000 orders. Nonetheless, Rogers was convinced he had “one of the greatest games of all time.” Therefore, he asked the Nintendo head if he was doing something wrong and what he could change to make Tetris a success.
Yamauchi had taken over the then-playing card manufacturer Nintendo in 1949 and was instrumental in turning the company into the gaming giant we know today. Until his retirement in 2002, Yamauchi was known for ruling Nintendo with an iron fist – but he was also aware of the importance of innovation and quality.
As Rogers recounts, the Nintendo chief consulted the legendary developer Shigeru Miyamoto and asked him if Tetris was indeed such a good game. Miyamoto affirmed this, prompting Yamauchi to inquire how he was so sure. The answer from the creator of Zelda sealed Tetris’ fate:
“Well, because all of your secretaries and accountants are playing it during their lunch breaks and after work, and that has never happened before.”
Following this, Yamauchi instructed Managing Director Hiroshi Imaishi to give Tetris a “Nintendo seal of quality” and also to call every retailer, demanding they order more units.
Ultimately, the seal did not come to fruition, as Imaishi would have had to assemble an entire team to determine which games would deserve such a seal. However, he began contacting retailers – and the rest is gaming history.
While Tetris is a great game, it is not necessarily known for a deep plot. However, the story behind the development of the gaming classic is a real thriller. The dark story behind Tetris is getting a movie – I can hardly believe what went on
