Bullet-Proof Software

The original Japanese publisher of Tetris.

Bullet-Proof Software Inc. (BPS) was a video game developer and publisher founded in 1983 by Henk Rogers in Japan. The company closed on 22 February 2001.

Quick Facts

Industry: Video games
Fate: Acquired by The Tetris Company
Predecessor: Bullet-Proof Software Inc.
Founded: 1995
Founder: Henk Rogers
Defunct: 2020, 10
Headquarters: Honolulu, Hawaii
Country: United States

Lore & Background

The original Bullet-Proof Software started operation in 1983 in Japan by Henk Rogers, with The Black Onyx as its first title. It became the number one title of 1984 and the number two video game of 1985. The company imported Western games to Japan, most notably Tetris. The name "Bullet-Proof" means "bulletproof" or "perfect," chosen to signify perfect software. BPS had an American operation from October 1989 to late 1993, based in Redmond, Washington. Among games from the US operation was Faceball 2000 for the Game Boy and the SNES. The American operation was sold to Spectrum HoloByte in 1993, and its development team moved to a startup led by Scott Tsumura in Redmond, called Big Bang Software, which later merged into Nintendo Software Technology.