Tetris Story Coming to Apple TV+

The story of one of the best-known games of the 1980s is about to be released via streaming. A AppleTV + already announced that it will make an exclusive exhibition of Tetris at the film festival South by southwest (SXSW) in March. On the 31st of the same month, the feature hits the platform for subscribers. The work, according to Apple, involves a network of lies and corruption - indicating that a great story of tension behind the game is about to arrive.

What is the story behind the game Tetris?

In 1984, when the Tetris game was designed by the engineer Alexey Pajitnov, the world was going through the conflict of Cold War. One of the main characteristics of the conflict involved the conquest of advanced technologies: that is why space travel and the development of nuclear missiles were so explored, both by the United States (EUA) as by Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

But not only war technologies took shape during the 1980s. Pajitnov invented the game for an Eletronica 60 computer and, later, it was taken to a machine from IBM by Vadim Gerasimov. The name, in turn, was decided upon as a reference to the Greek word tetra, which means four — so all Tetris game pieces include four squares. Within the heated atmosphere, the game's launch showed elements that referred to socialism, including the hammer and sickle in the Tetris logo.

The original game had elements that made a lot of reference to the USSR. While the game was playing, some images of the Soviet Union appeared on the screen from time to time: one of them was that of a Russian cosmonaut in space, looking at Earth, from the Salyut space station. The game also features the Miracle on Ice, a nickname given to the February 1980 game, when the USA beat the Soviet Union, previously unbeatable in hockey.

How will Tetris debut?

The SXSW event takes place from the 10th to the 19th of March, in Austin (TX), USA. The event, which always features great innovations in technology and culture, features film screenings. In the catalog of works, there is Tetris, which is shown exclusively on the 15th and 16th of the event, at the Paramount Theater and at the Alamo Drafthouse cinema.

Preliminary information stated that the film would go with a trilogy but, according to the The Verge, this possibility is ruled out. Yet, Tetris is 118 minutes long, being one of the biggest events within the festival, being in the headliners

What is the plot of the film?

The film Tetris It involves a battle between video game salesman Henk Rogers (played by Taron Egerton) who leaves for the Soviet Union in order to acquire the rights to the game. When he arrives in the USSR, 1988, he meets Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Yefremov), the software engineer who invented the game. Apple promises that the plot of the work will arrive as a real thriller, conveying the excitement of making the game available to the public beyond the borders of the Soviet Union.

“Based on a true story, Tetris is an thriller from the Cold War era, with villains in a plot of betrayal, unlikely heroes and a thrilling race to the finish.”

AppleTV +

The main character, Rogers, wants to popularize the block game at all costs. Throughout the film, he risks his life for this purpose, including to obtain the video game distribution rights. These clashes still put other companies in the middle of the whole story by the Tetris: Nintendo wanted the game to be part of the launch of its Gameboy, the company's famous portable console. It is very likely that the work also portrays the company's directions in getting the hobby, since, at the time, it hired Rogers and a Dutch software developer to obtain the rights.

Who acts in the film?

In addition to Tager Egerton, who was in Kingsman and Rocketman, the film has other important names. The presence of actors from several countries is noteworthy, such as Togo Igawa, from Japan, and Yefremov, who is Russian. Here's a list of some of the other characters:

• Toby Jones as Robert Stein (developer at Andromeda Software)
• Roger Allam as Robert Maxwell (former British press magnate)
• Anthony Boyle as Kevin Maxwell (son of Robert Maxwell)
• Togo Igawa as Hiroshi Yamauchi (former president of Nintendo)
• Ken Yamamura as Minoru Arakawa (First President of Nintendo)
• Ben Miles as Howard Lincoln (Former President of Nintendo America)
• Matthew Marsh as Mikhail Gorbachev (President of the USSR)
• Rick Yune as Larry

See also:

35 years of Tetris: an unforgettable classic in our hearts

Source: TechCrunch | american history | AppleTV + | Game Braves

reviewed by Glaucous