Alexey Pajitnov is an American computer engineer and video game designer His most famous work, Tetris, was created, designed, and developed in 1984 while employed by the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union’s Dorodnitsyn Computer Center (now the Russian Academy of Sciences).
He relocated here in 1991, and he later became a citizen. Along with Dutch video game creator Henk Rogers, Pajitnov established The Tetris Corporation in 1996. Despite Tetris’ enormous success before this, Pajitnov never received royalties from the game.
In this article, we’ll examine the elements that have influenced Alexey Pajitnov’s wealth and take a deeper look at his net worth.
| Full Name | Alexey Leonidovich Pajitnov |
| Nickname | Alexey Pajitnov |
| Net Worth | $20.5 billion |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of Birth | March 14, 1956 |
| Place of Birth | Moscow, Russia |
| Age | 67 years old |
| Height | 5 feet 6 inches |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Profession | Computer Engineer and Video Game Designer |
Alexey Pajitnov Net Worth: How Rich is the Creator of Tetris?
The estimated net worth of Alexey Pajitnov is $20.5 million. His engagement in The Tetris Company, where he has a large stake, is the main source of his riches.
He has also received royalties from the several Tetris variations that have been published throughout the years. He has also contributed to the video game industry, especially in the puzzle game category, which has contributed to his riches.
Alexey Pajitnov Early Life and Family Background
On March 14, 1956, Alexey Pajitnov was born. His father was a critic of fine art. His mother was a writer for newspapers as well as a cinema magazine. Pajitnov’s parents exposed him to the arts, which led to his establishing a fondness for movies.
He attended several movie showings with his mother, including the Moscow Film Festival. Pajitnov had a strong mathematical aptitude and loved to solve puzzles and problems. When Pajitnov was 11 years old, his parents got divorced.
He resided with his mother in a one-bedroom apartment owned by the state for many years. When Pajitnov was 17, the two were able to move into a private flat at 49 Gertsen Street. Thereafter, he enrolled in the Moscow Aviation Institute to study applied mathematics.
Alexey Pajitnov Career Success: From Soviet Internship to Worldwide Sensation
Pajitnov completed a summer internship at the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1977. After earning his degree in 1979, he obtained a position there at the Dorodnitsyn Computer Centre of the Academy, where he would work on speech recognition.
The researchers at the Computing Centre would create a short software to assess the equipment’s computing capabilities whenever it received new hardware. This “become [his] pretext for inventing games,” claims Pajitnov.
Pajitnov was fascinated by computer games because they provided a means of bridging the gap between logic and emotion. He was also interested in puzzles, mathematics, and the psychology of computing.
In search of ideas, Pajitnov thought back to the pentominoes game he used to play as a kid, where the forms were used to make pictures. Pajitnov was motivated to develop a game based on the idea after recalling the difficulty he had fitting the pieces back into their box.
He started developing the original iteration of Tetris using an Electronika 60 in the computing center. Pajitnov created the prototype of the game in two weeks and then spent more time playtesting and improving it before finishing it on June 6, 1984.
Even though this early version lacked levels or a scoring system, Pajitnov believed he had the makings of a brilliant game since he couldn’t stop playing it at work.
Coworkers were interested in the game, including fellow programmer Dmitry Pevlovsky, who assisted Pajitnov in getting in touch with Vadim Gerasimov, a 16-year-old intern at the Soviet Academy.
The intern was hired by Pajitnov to assist with his project to create a color Tetris game for the IBM Personal Computer. In less than three weeks, Gerasimov finished the PC version.
With help from Pevlovsky, he then spent a further month implementing other features, such as scorekeeping and sound effects. The game debuted in the West in 1986 after originally becoming accessible in the Soviet Union.
The Tetris sequel by Pajitnov, Welltris, uses identical gameplay mechanics but is played in a three-dimensional environment where the player can view the playing field from above.
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Under the tagline “From Russia with Love” (on the NES, “From Russia with Fun!”), Tetris was licensed and overseen by the Soviet business ELORG, which held a monopoly on the import and export of computer hardware and software in the Soviet Union.
Pajitnov did not get royalties because the Soviet government employed him. Along with Vladimir Pokhilko, Pajitnov immigrated to the US in 1991. In 1996, he co-founded The Tetris Company with Henk Rogers, allowing him to finally start receiving royalties from his game.
He contributed to the creation of Yoshi’s Cookie Super NES puzzles and created the more conventional jigsaw-style puzzles in Pandora’s Box. The game/screensaver El-Fish was created by the 3D software development business AnimaTek, which was formed by Pajitnov and Pokhilko.
His time at Microsoft spanned October 1996 until 2005. He worked on the MSN Mind Aerobics, MSN Games, and Microsoft Entertainment Pack: The Puzzle Collection teams while there.
Every new Xbox 360 Premium package came with Hexic HD, a new, improved version of Hexic by Pajitnov. Pajitnov and WildSnake Software announced their partnership to create a new series of puzzle games in August 2005.
Alexey Pajitnov Personal Life
Pajitnov immigrated to the country in 1991, became a citizen by naturalization, and presently resides in Clyde Hill, Washington. He is married to Nina, and the two of them have two boys, Peter and Dmitri.
In 2017, Dmitri perished while skiing on Mount Rainier. He didn’t come back, therefore he was initially reported as missing. On February 9, 2018, authorities located and found his body.
Alexey Pajitnov Awards and Achievements
- In 1996, GameSpot ranked him as the fourth-most influential video game creator of all time.
- He was given the First Penguin Award by the Game Developers Choice Awards in March 2007. For creating the market for casual gaming, the honor was presented.
- At the LARA – Die Deutsche Gaming Award in Cologne, Germany, in June 2009, he was given an honorary award.
- Pajitnov was referred to as “the ultimate video game one-hit wonder” by IGN in their 2012 list of the 5 Memorable One-Hit Wonders in the Video Game Industry.
- At the Fun & Serious Game Festival in 2015, Pajitnov took home the Bizkaia Award.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Alexey Pajitnov now?
Pajitnov moved to Washington State with his family, but Tetris, a new biographical play, explores his recent memories of life in Soviet Russia. a week ago
Did the creator of Tetris ever benefit from the game?
Along with Vladimir Pokhilko, Pajitnov immigrated to the US in 1991. In 1996, he co-founded The Tetris Company with Henk Rogers, allowing him to finally start receiving royalties from his game.
Who currently owns Tetris?
The Tetris brand is managed and licensed by (TTC) to other parties. Its owners, Alexey Pajitnov, the man behind Tetris, and Henk Rogers, are based in Nevada. The business has an exclusive license from Tetris Holding LLC, which is the owner of all global Tetris rights.
