Tetris aims to be an Olympic esport after Red Bull World Final

After hosting one of the largest Tetris events to date, the game has set its sights on an even bigger goal, securing approval for Tetris as an Olympic esport.

Taking place earlier this month, the 2025 Red Bull Tetris World Final in Dubai saw Tetris players compete at the Dubai Frame, using the monument itself as a playing field.  

Speaking to Esports Insider at the event, Maya Rogers, CEO of The Tetris Company, highlighted that being an Olympic esport is “ definitely one of our ambitions over the next one to three years.”

According to Maya Rogers, Tetris is a “perfect esport,” particularly due to its family-friendly nature.

Tetris Founder Henk Rogers shared a similar sentiment, explaining that “anybody in the family can watch and enjoy” the game, much like traditional Olympic sports.

While Red Bull Tetris was a big step for the game competitively, several challenges still lie ahead for its Olympic ambitions to become a reality.

Before securing Olympic approval, the next step, according to Henk Rogers, is to reshape Tetris’ competitive ecosystem to mirror the Olympic model. The 71-year-old believes Tetris could become the world’s first true “Olympic-style esport”.

However, for that to happen, the game must evolve into a more spectator-friendly experience. Henk Rogers admitted that, until now, the focus has largely been on the players rather than the audience.

“Now we have to think about whether the spectator is having fun,” Henk Rogers told Esports Insider.

“I’ve seen the top players in the world, and they play so fast that spectators can’t understand what’s going on. It’s like, ‘Oh my God, this doesn’t even look like something a person can do,’ and they’re playing so fast.” 

To address this, the company is looking to implement replays during Tetris tournaments to help viewers better understand players’ moves.

“I think that gives people a better understanding of what they actually did, with different camera angles and so on, and then the commentators can say, ‘Hey, you did this or that.’ I also think AI can identify the best moves in a game and play them back afterwards, for example,” he added.

When Esports Insider asked the 2025 Red Bull Tetris World Finals champion, Fehmi Atalar, for his thoughts on the matter, he said: “It [Tetris] can be an Olympic sport under certain circumstances, but those circumstances are far too complicated to explain right now. 

“It could become an Olympic sport if it’s done properly and thoroughly, I must say. I hope they manage it and are successful. I just want to wish them good luck, and if we ever see Tetris played at the Olympics, I would be extremely grateful for it.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) held its first Olympic Esports Series in 2023 during Olympic Esports Week. However, the event didn’t feature any popular esports titles such as League of Legends, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike.

This decision sparked massive backlash from the esports community, with the IOC citing the violent nature of those games as the reason for their exclusion.

Most recently, the 12-year deal ended early, causing a major setback to the initiative. As of now, no further announcements have been made regarding the future of the Olympic Esports Games.

However, this doesn’t mean the Olympics’ expansion into esports is over. While announcing the conclusion of the partnership, the IOC stated: “The IOC, for its part, will develop a new approach to the Olympic Esports Games.”