While working at the Moscow Academy of Sciences' Dorodnitsyn Computing Centre, Pajitnov created Tetris as a programming exercise on an Electronika 60 computer. It quickly became popular among his colleagues.

Tetris spread rapidly throughout the Soviet Union, copied and distributed informally among computer users. This lack of formal distribution would later contribute to licensing complications.

The rights to Tetris were sold and resold to multiple companies, including Andromeda Software, Mirrorsoft, and Spectrum HoloByte, due to the complexities of dealing with the Soviet Union and the lack of clear legal structures. This led to multiple competing versions of the game.

Nintendo secured the rights to distribute Tetris with their Game Boy handheld console. This decision proved to be a massive success, making Tetris a global phenomenon and a key selling point for the Game Boy.

After a decade, the rights to Tetris reverted to Pajitnov. He had not initially profited directly from the game's immense success due to the Soviet system.