People who bought EA’s Tetris App will be dismayed when they find out they will lose access soon. The popular puzzler has been available on iPhone and Android devices for years, but it seems these have come to an end. In one form or another, Tetris has been around for more than 35 years.
Electronic Arts published the 2011 version of the game which, like other versions of Tetris, was immensely popular with fans. The game company also published Tetris Blitz, which offers a unique take on the game and has players not trying to survive but to eliminate as many rows as possible in a two-minute timeframe. The latter title also includes powerups that can be purchased for real money. Blitz debuted to mixed reviews largely because it inundated players with nag screens asking them to spend money and its simplistic nature, but EA’s take on the original Tetris has traditionally been popular.
Unfortunately for fans, both versions of the game are going away. Both Tetris and Tetris Blitz have been removed from the Google Play store. At the time of writing, both games are still available on iOS with the note, “EA may retire online features and services after 30 days’ notice” on EA’s official website. EA has released an official statement regarding its Tetris games, which explains that they will be officially shut down on April 21. After that date, neither game will be playable online or off. iOS players who own the games receive a popup warning them that the game will be closing, but no warning exists on the product information page in the store. Players who haven’t bought the came can see what they are missing in the YouTube video below:
Electronic Arts has not provided anything resembling an actual explanation for the games’ disappearance, but it seems that it boils down to an unwillingness to pay licensing fees. A new free version of Tetris by N3TWORK Inc. has appeared on both Google Play and Android App Store. N3TWORK is also developing Tetris Royale, a 100-player competitive version of the game similar to the Nintendo Switch’s Tetris 99.
Electronic Arts’ rather abrupt shuttering of Tetris and Tetris Blitz demonstrates perfectly one major problem with non-physical copies of games. Once they end, they end. Many defunct apps and games remain on stores and can be played until compatibility issues become an issue. Fortunately for fans, Tetris lives on will continue to persist in some form or another until the unlikely scenario occurs in which no one wants to play them.
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Tetris and Tetris Blitz are still available on iOS. Players who own them on Android can continue to play until all versions become unplayable on April 21.
Source: The Gamer
