Plot

Video game designer Henk Rogers seeks to secure global rights for Tetris (1984), leading to tense negotiations in the Soviet Union, involving creators, government, and corporate intrigues.

An enterprising game developer risks everything in a race to outmaneuver duplicitous insiders to negotiate a deal with Soviet Union bureaucrats for the international licensing rights to what would eventually become one of the most recognizable and widely played games in history.

In 1988, Henk Rogers of Bullet-Proof Software markets his newest video game at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. While there, he instead becomes enamored with the game "Tetris", created by Russian programmer Alexey Pajitnov, who works for ELORG in the Soviet Union. Rogers explains to a bank manager that Robert Stein of Andromeda Software had obtained the worldwide licensing rights to Tetris from ELORG, and signed a contract with media tycoon Robert Maxwell and his son, CEO of Mirrorsoft, Kevin Maxwell, allowing them to distribute Tetris in exchange for game royalties. Meanwhile, the Mirrorsoft representative at CES had sold Rogers the Tetris rights in Japan for PC, console, and arcade. Rogers then goes to Nintendo headquarters in Japan and obtains an audience with CEO Hiroshi Yamauchi, whom he convinces of Tetris' value. He turns down a buyout offer for the rights to Tetris, instead proposing a partnership, to which Yamauchi agrees. Rogers then asks for a loan to produce Nintendo cartridges and arcade machines, agreeing to heightened interest rates and putting up his apartment as collateral. His wife and business partner Akemi voices her concerns, but Rogers points out their children's obsession with the game and promises that his gambit will work. Shortly after beginning production, Rogers receives a call from Kevin, explaining that the arcade rights had already been promised to Sega. Rogers returns to Yamauchi, asking for his residuals in advance. Instead, he is sent to Nintendo of America headquarters in Seattle, and shown Nintendo's upcoming handheld device, the Game Boy, which is planned to be released with Super Mario Land. Rogers convinces president Minoru Arakawa and senior VP Howard Lincoln to package it with Tetris instead, and promises to obtain the handheld licensing rights. He travels to meet with the Maxwells in London, who tell him that Stein retains all worldwide licensing rights. Rogers attempts to purchase the handheld rights, but is dismissed. The Maxwells order Stein to secure the handheld rights. Kevin questions his father about millions of pounds missing from the employee retirement fund, but his questions are dismissed. Rogers meanwhile, meets Stein outside and offers $25,000 for the worldwide handheld rights, which Stein seemingly accepts. Later, however, Arakawa and Lincoln call Rogers explaining that Stein has now promised the handheld rights to Atari for $100,000. Kevin learns about this, and, while Stein promises to obtain the rights, both Kevin and Rogers decide to travel to Moscow to personally obtain them instead. Rogers struggles to locate ELORG headquarters until he meets a woman named Sasha, who offers to be Rogers' translator. She takes him to ELORG, warning him that entry without formal invitation is highly illegal; despite this, Rogers speaks to ELORG president Nikolai Belikov. With Sasha translating, Rogers explains that he licenses Tetris to Nintendo. Belikov however, has never heard of Nintendo and claims that ELORG only licensed Tetris for PC, and accuses Rogers of theft. Rogers promises to sort out the situation, and Belikov tells him to return the next morning. Outside, Rogers is confronted by a KGB agent, who warns him to return home. Kevin arrives in Moscow and is greeted by Valentin Trifonov, head of the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs and member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. The next morning, Rogers meets with Belikov and Alexey. Trifonov briefly interrupts to warn Rogers that he can return home or face the consequences of his crimes of fraudulently using a tourist's visa to conduct business and of false licensing, but Rogers refuses to leave. He promises Alexey that he will make him a millionaire, but Alexey explains that he receives no royalties for Tetris, despite having invented it. Rogers again defends himself to Belikov, and finds out that ELORG did not license the arcade rights either. Meanwhile, Stein and Kevin are also at ELORG to negotiate for handheld rights, though neither Rogers, Stein nor Kevin are aware of the others' presence. Rogers reviews the contract Stein originally signed and notes that because of the vague definition of the word "computer," Stein had technically obtained the video game rights, though he had stolen the arcade rights. Belikov presents Stein with a new contract for arcade and PC rights. Rogers asks Alexey for a ride to his hotel, during which he attempts small talk. Alexey responds coldly, but, while it is illegal for USSR citizens to have foreigners in their homes, he gives Rogers his home address. Meanwhile, Trifonov meets with Kevin, explaining his lowly origins and that he believes the Soviet Union is dying. He also hints that Kevin should bribe him for help obtaining the rights. Although Kevin refuses, Robert promises Trifonov a large sum to help Kevin obtain them. Rogers goes to Alexey's apartment for dinner, where they bond over their passion for game design. Rogers plays the original version of Tetris on Alexey's personal computer, suggesting improvements to the game's mechanics. When a neighbor knocks on their door, Alexey and his wife fearfully hide Rogers. Alexey asks Rogers to leave, but Rogers asks Alexey to take him to a real Russian club, where he is surprised by the Russians' desire for freedom and love of the song "The Final Countdown," and Alexey notes that he and Rogers are not so different. Afterwards, men from the Russian embassy in Tokyo threaten Rogers' family, while KGB officers beat him in an alley. He returns to his hotel and finds his room ransacked. Sasha arrives and tells Rogers that her room was also ransacked, and explains why the government considers him such a threat. She kisses him unexpectedly, but Rogers tells her he is married. The next morning, Trifonov speaks to Alexey and his sons, telling them to ask about what happened to Alexey's father. Rogers and Stein see each other hailing taxis the next morning. Stein signs the new contract, and Rogers makes an offer for the handheld rights, offering royalties per unit sold to make up for the small sum he can pay up front; he expects millions of units to be sold. Trifonov tells Belikov to sell to Mirrorsoft, even though Kevin offers no royalties. Belikov has Kevin sign a letter of intent, giving the handheld rights to Mirrorsoft if the company pays 1 million dollars within a week; however, he also secretly has Rogers sign a letter, giving him a window to make a stronger counteroffer, and also offers the video game rights to Rogers; he had redefined the word computer in Stein's new contract, eliminating the loophole that Stein had exploited. Alexey takes Rogers to Dzerzhinsky Square. On the way, he tells Rogers that his father was a university professor, and that when his father protested a colleague's arrest over selling a book abroad, the Soviet government ruined his family. He then points out Trifonov, and reveals that Sasha is actually a KGB agent working for Trifonov, before taking Rogers to the airport. When Rogers arrives home, he receives a fax from ELORG reneging his deal, and photos of him kissing Sasha to blackmail him into silence. He then receives a call from Lincoln stating that Nintendo is purchasing the rights from Mirrorsoft. As he despairs, Rogers angrily dismisses having missed his daughter's concert as unimportant, which upsets both her and Akemi. Belikov has Alexey fax Mirrorsoft's letter of intent to Rogers. Meanwhile, Kevin finds his father shredding numerous documents. When he questions why the company could not pay the million dollars, Robert again is dismissive. Rogers takes the letter to Lincoln and Arakawa, who are angrily discussing the loss of Tetris and their cartridge patent to Atari. However, since Mirrorsoft had not yet paid the million dollars they promised, both the worldwide video game and handheld rights were still available. The three travel back to Moscow to make another offer, and Trifinov has Alexey fired from his job and evicted from his apartment because of Rogers' return. Rogers, Lincoln, and Arakawa meet with Belikov and make an offer for worldwide handheld and video game rights. Sasha, who is also present, forces Belikov to consider the offer overnight and informs Trifonov, who in turn informs Robert, giving him twenty-four hours to come up with the one million dollars originally promised. Stein angrily attacks Kevin for going behind his back, believing that Kevin had caused him to lose the video game rights, although Kevin denies this. The three realize that they possess neither video game nor handheld rights, and Robert and Kevin fly to Moscow to meet with Mikhail Gorbachev, asking for help, but Gorbachev refuses. Alexey meets with Rogers, angrily stating that they are not friends, and should return to their own worlds. As he returns home, he overhears Trifonov's orders to intercept Rogers' team from the agents watching him. The Maxwells attempt to convince Belikov to give them the licensing rights, but Rogers' team interrupts and presents their own offer. Kevin accidentally forces Robert to admit that Mirrorsoft is bankrupt, and couldn't pay the one million dollars they promised. Belikov dismisses the Maxwells and signs Rogers' offer, warning that the three are not safe until they are out of Moscow. Trifonov confronts the Maxwells, inadvertently revealing the bribe to Sasha and Kevin. Trifonov's men attempt to intercept Rogers outside, but Alexey arrives in his car and helps Rogers escape. A car chase ensues, with Alexey getting to the airport ahead of Trifinov. When they hear police sirens, Rogers tells Alexey to return home, promising that it is not goodbye. Trifinov attempts to intercept Rogers, but he manages to trick him and the flight departs before Trifinov can board, and Sasha arrests him for corruption. When he arrives home, Rogers apologetically asks his daughter to perform her concert that he missed, and shows Akemi a check from Nintendo for five million dollars, reconciling with them both. The Game Boy goes on to become an enormous success worldwide. As the Soviet Union collapses, Rogers sends Alexey a Game Boy and plane tickets to America, and meets him in San Francisco, where the two embrace. Text then reveals that Stein continued licensing video games, and that Robert had stolen millions of pounds from employee funds, for which Kevin stood trial, and discusses the success and legacy of Tetris.