Image: Nintendo LifeOf all the gaming brands, it's fair to say that Tetris and Super Mario can both stand proud as two of the most instantly recognisable. They're practically synonymous with the medium, and it's clear that Henk Rogers, the entrepreneur who secured the rights to Tetris, knew the value of Alexey Pajitnov's remarkable creation.In fact, as highlighted in VGC's feature piece on Rogers' new book, The Perfect Game - Tetris: From Russia With Love, he wrote about his dealings with the late Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo's President from 1949 to 2002. Yamauchi is often described as a formidable man whose reputation demanded the respect of his peers and employees, yet Rogers was able to strike up a friendship through "a mix of courage, luck, and lucrative business deals".Though crossing Yamauchi would supposedly result in an instant firing for Nintendo's employees, Rogers believed that, as a foreigner, he was able to get away with more than most. To highlight this, he briefly described his comeback when Yamauchi asked Rogers to sell Tetris to Nintendo:"He once asked me to sell him Tetris. I said I would trade Tetris for Mario, making it clear to him that Tetris meant to me what Mario meant to Nintendo. You fight fire with fire.Yamauchi and Rogers would ultimately spend a lot of time together thanks to a mutual interest in the board game Go. This led to Nintendo giving Rogers special treatment, giving him the ability to order game cartridges earlier than others.The rest, as they say, is history. Tetris blew up on the Game Boy and has retained its popularity to this very day. To get more information on its creation and success, you can check out Tetris Forever on the Switch right now, which serves as an interactive documentary from the masters over at Digital Eclipse. The building blocks of history"Tetris Forever now includes 21 playable games!"What would the world be like if Nintendo had traded Mario for Tetris..? Let us know your thoughts on this with a comment down below.[source videogameschronicle.com]Share:03 Nintendo Lifes resident horror fanatic, when hes not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesNintendo Switch 2 Direct: Time, Where To Watch, What To ExpectIt's time for Switch 2Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's Official Switch Box Art Is Absolutely StunningAhhhh we want itNintendo Direct Confirmed For Today, 27th March 202530 minutes of news for OG Switch gamesRandom: Sakurai Sends Fans Into Meltdown Ahead Of Switch DirectUpdate: "I can't just tweet carelessly..."