Tetris becomes biggest-selling mobile download ever

by Stevie Smith - Jan 21 2010, 17:24

For many, when it comes to Hollywood movies, the old classics are still best. The same is evidently true in the world of videogames, where the mobile version of classic block-based puzzler Tetris has this week moved beyond a staggering 100 million downloads.

According to Blue Planet Software and EA Mobile, this particular iteration of Tetris (which was released back in 2005) has now become the best-selling mobile phone game of all time and is the only mobile title to reach the aforementioned milestone.

“Tetris is the biggest franchise in mobile gaming, which speaks to the evergreen nature of the brand and the fact that it translates to any platform,” enthused Adam Sussman, vice president of worldwide publishing at EA Mobile.

The original Tetris was created in 1984 by Russian-born mathematician Alexey Pajitnov and quickly went on to become a global gaming sensation after appearing on Nintendo’s massively popular Game Boy handheld a few years later.

“After Tetris’ success with the Game Boy back in 1989, we always hoped that potential would carry over into today’s mobile device,” added Hank Rogers, chief executive of Blue Planet. “It’s a testament to the game’s staying power that it remains popular on today’s most modern technology.”

News of Tetris’ achievement comes in the year the popular franchise is celebrating its 25th anniversary – and a scientific study published by BMC Research Notes revealed that playing Tetris increases efficiency and cortex thickness in the human brain.

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