With more than 100 million paid downloads, Tetris recently became the best-selling mobile game ever. Now The Tetris Company is looking to conquer another medium: interactive TV. Casual games firm Oberon Media is working with The Tetris Company to launch a new service called Tetris TV. DISH Network is Oberon's first partner to launch Tetris TV in North America, but Oberon said it's planning to expand worldwide with additional partners.
So what is Tetris TV? For $2.99 per month, not only can DISH Network users play Tetris with a remote control, but they'll also be able to compete in tournaments for prizes and post their names and scores to national leader boards managed by Oberon Media's iTV community and service management technology, JIVE. Two types of Tetris are offered currently: Marathon and 40-Lines. Marathon features 15 challenging levels, while 40-Lines is a race to clear 40 lines in as fast a time as possible.
"Working with Oberon Media to release Tetris TV allows us to reach millions of our fans in yet another way," said Henk Rogers, CEO of Blue Planet Software, the company that manages the exclusive licensing rights to the Tetris game. "Interactive TV is an exciting venture for us, as we're always hoping to give Tetris players a unique way to enjoy the game on their own and while interacting with each other. What's better, a study published this year by BMC Research Notes showed how playing Tetris can create positive changes in our brains--so we're happy to say that now, with the release of the Tetris TV service, TV could be good for you!"
