S1 Ep15: Tetris, The KGB, and a $15 Million Gamble – The Untold True Story

No one teaches you how to walk into Soviet negotiations on a tourist visa and walk out with one of the biggest gaming deals in history.Today, I’m sitting down with Henk Rogers, the entrepreneur who brought Tetris to the world and outplayed billion-dollar corporations to secure the rights. His journey is a masterclass in risk-taking, negotiation, and reinvention.We dive into:- How Henk convinced Nintendo to bet on Tetris- The truth behind the movie vs. reality: what really happened in Moscow- The Game Boy deal that changed gaming forever- How a near-death experience turned him into a climate change activist- His new book, The Perfect Game: Tetris: From Russia with Love, where he reveals the untold story behind the Tetris battle and what Hollywood didn’t showNow, he’s on a mission to make the world 100 percent renewable by 2045, and he’s already led Hawaii to become the first state to commit.This is about big risks, big wins, and using success to change the world. Let’s get into it.Chapters: 0:00 The Origin Story Begins1:23 Henk's Humble Beginnings3:19 Following Love All the Way to Japan6:00 Bringing Western Games to the East10:00 Betting the Farm Literally11:00 The Moment Henk Found Tetris20:00 Tetris Meets Game Boy23:00 Entering the Soviet Union… on a Tourist Visa24:00 The KGB Is Now Involved31:00 Negotiating Behind the Iron Curtain39:00 When It All Nearly Fell Apart40:00 Why the Tetris Launch Initially Flopped48:00 Henk & Alexey Pajitnov Friendship53:00 Fact vs Fiction Does the Movie Get It Right57:00 How Writing His Book Came to Be59:00 Henk's Near Death Experience1:01:00 Henk’s Mission to Ditch Carbon Fuels for Good1:02:00 How Much Henk Sold His Company For1:03:00 How to Actually Make Renewables Profitable1:09:00 Henk's New App to Help Climate Change1:11:00 Advice for the Next Generation of Dreamers1:12:00 The Real Story Behind Henk’s BookFollow Chris: https://www.instagram.com/chrisdonnellyofficial/?hl=en Follow Henk: https://www.instagram.com/henkrogers/?hl=en Link to Henk's Book: https://www.diangelopublications.com/shop/p/the-perfect-game