Henk Rogers

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Lore & Background

In 1972, Henk Rogers graduated from Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. He later relocated to Hawaii, where he pursued studies in Computer Science at the University of Hawaii in Manoa. While studying at the university, Henk met his future wife, Akemi. He followed her to Japan, her home country, and they married in 1977 after three extended visits. They lived in the family compound owned by Henk’s father-in-law and Henk was involved with his family business at the time. Henk and Akemi have four children together. During the 1980s, as the founder and CEO of Bullet-Proof Software, Rogers developed an interest in Tetris, a game designed by Alexey Pajitnov that was gaining popularity in Europe. Rogers perceived the game as having enormous global market potential and decided to acquire its rights. To achieve this, he negotiated a deal with Nintendo to secure the rights for their upcoming Game Boy system, and then made a trip to the Soviet Union to deal with Elektronorgtechnica (ELORG), a software development company. During his meeting with ELORG's management, he managed to convince them about Tetris' prospects in the global market, resulting in a successful deal. The deal with ELORG granted Rogers international rights to Tetris for home gaming systems. From there, he promoted the game, which ultimately became a global hit, primarily due to its release on Nintendo's handheld gaming system, the Game Boy. This success led to the establishment of The Tetris Company, co-founded by Rogers and Pajitnov. Beyond Tetris and other video game endeavors, Rogers has founded or cofounded several community and sustainability-oriented organizations and companies. The first of these was Blue Planet Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity focused on activities of advocacy, which Rogers founded in 2007 to build awareness and fostering action for clean energy in Hawaii. In 2015, the foundation led the campaign to make Hawaii the first state in the United States of America with a 100% renewable energy law. Following this, Rogers joined his daughter Maya Rogers and local angel investor Chenoa Farnsworth to launch Blue Startups, a Honolulu-based startup accelerator to mentor, invest in, and encourage the founding of technology startups, particularly ones servicing the cross-Pacific region and/or several targeted interest areas. In 2015, Rogers then founded Blue Planet Energy, an energy

In Their Own Story

The room in Moscow was cold, the fluorescent lights humming. Henk Rogers sat across from Soviet officials, a briefcase of papers between them. He had flown in without a guarantee, chasing a puzzle game that had captured his imagination. The officials spoke of state property and licensing fees, but Rogers saw something else—a universal language of falling blocks. He didn't just negotiate a contract; he unlocked a door. Months later, children on subways and soldiers in barracks would be rotating tetrominoes, unaware of the quiet deal struck in that stark office.

Reader's Guide

The source does not specify how Rogers first encountered Tetris (e.g., at the 1988 CES). It states that during the 1980s, as founder and CEO of Bullet-Proof Software, he developed an interest in Tetris as it was gaining popularity in Europe. The source does not state that Bullet-Proof Software developed the NES version of Tetris; it says Rogers negotiated a deal with Nintendo for the Game Boy system and then dealt with ELORG. The source does not mention who developed the NES version.

Did You Know?

• Henk Rogers produced Japan's first major turn-based role-playing video game, The Black Onyx.
• Rogers co-founded The Tetris Company with Alexey Pajitnov.
• Rogers founded Blue Planet Foundation in 2007, which led the campaign for Hawaii's 100% renewable energy law in 2015.
• Rogers is chairman of the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES).