SAN FRANCISCO, June 29 ― After Tetris 99 did the improbable and brought the battle royale genre to one of the world's most famous and enduring video games, Tetris Royale appears to be converting the hit Nintendo Switch concept for mobile devices, with beta testing projected for sometime this year.
The Tetris Company is teaming up with mobile developer and publisher N3twork to create Tetris Royale for mobile devices.
Tetris Royale is built on the core concept of Tetris, in which players rotate and move four-block shapes as they fall from the top of the screen.
Complete lines vanish, creating more space; clearing four lines at once is known as a Tetris.
Advanced players learn to line up Tetris sequences in order to accumulate large scores.
Though initially popularized as a single player game, notably through its success as a Nintendo Game Boy title in the late 1980s and early 1990s and on numerous platforms since, competitive multiplayer variations have players sending their own completed lines over to their opponent's stack.
Tetris 99 arrived in February 2019 and multiplied the principle, having 99 players competing against each other until only one remained.
It was an immediate success, its unexpected splicing of the Tetris formula with the trending Battle Royale format of Fortnite and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (“PUBG”) a prospect able to renew the Tetris appeal to new generations and returning fans.
The announcement of Tetris Royale did not reference Tetris 99 but the principle appears to be the same.
“Tetris Royale will feature a variety of game modes, from the hallmark 100-player Tetris Royale mode to massive daily competitions of thousands of players to solo Marathon mode where players can hone their Tetris skills,” the announcement reads.
Tetris Royale will also feature daily and seasonal challenges, as well as customisations, power-ups and boosters that can be used in battle.
Beta testing is to begin in 2019, with iPhone, iPad and Android versions in the works.
N3twork previously developed puzzle-oriented role-playing game Legendary: Game of Heroes and used its experience to become a distribution and monetization company.
Other recent Tetris adaptations include Puyo Puyo Tetris for Switch, PlayStation 4 and PC, and the synesthetic Tetris Effect for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR.
Earlier this year, The Tetris Company also announced collaborations with FairPlay and Baroque Japan clothing companies, ipsy beauty products, Kanga Care baby accessories, Sock It to Me socks and underwear, and MC2 Saint Barth beachwear.
Tetris as a whole celebrated its 35th anniversary on June 4. ― AFP-Relaxnews
