Tetris sells 100 million on mobile devices

Tetris has been a staple in the gaming industry for more than 25 years. Created by Alexey Pajitnov while he was working at the Computer Centre in the Russian Academy of Science, the seminal puzzler was initially programmed for the Electronica 60 and has since seen iterations on platforms ranging from the original Game Boy to current-generation systems such as the Wii and Xbox 360.

Today, the Associated Press reports that Tetris is the best-selling mobile game of all time, achieving in excess of 100 million paid downloads on cell phones globally. EA Mobile and license manager Blue Planet Software confirmed the news for the AP, and the publisher is expected to make its official announcement tomorrow.

[UPDATE] In its official announcement today, EA clarified the 100 million milestone, saying that it included only paid downloads on mobile phones since 2005.

EA declined to say how much revenue Tetris has generated, though the wire service notes that the iPhone edition of the game runs for $5. EA Mobile vice president Adam Sussman told the AP that Tetris is currently available in 60 countries and is compatible with 64,000 different handset models.

For more on Tetris, check out GameSpot's interview with Pajitnov from the 2007 GameCity event in Nottingham, England.