Henk Rogers is a Dutch-American video game designer and entrepreneur best known for securing the rights to distribute Tetris on home gaming consoles, turning a little-known Soviet puzzle game into one of the best-selling titles in history.
Since then, he has co-founded The Tetris Company and built a portfolio of clean energy businesses in Hawaii, making him one of the most unusual figures in both the gaming world and the renewable energy sector.
Who is Henk Rogers?
Henk Rogers, full name Henk Brouwer Rogers, is a Dutch-born entrepreneur of partial Indonesian descent who spent decades shaping both the video game industry and Hawaii’s clean energy landscape.
He grew up between Europe, the United States, and Japan before settling permanently in Hawaii.
He first gained international recognition for creating The Black Onyx in 1984, Japan’s first major role-playing video game.
His later work securing the Tetris license for the Nintendo Game Boy cemented his place in gaming history.
Rogers also survived a near-fatal heart attack in 2005. That experience redirected his professional focus toward renewable energy and space exploration, leading him to found a series of companies and nonprofits pursuing those goals.
His 2023 biography was adapted into the Apple TV+ film Tetris, starring Taron Egerton as Rogers.
Early Life of Henk Rogers
Henk Rogers was born on December 24, 1953, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. His mother was Dutch and his father had Indonesian heritage, making him part of the Indo community with roots in both the Netherlands and Indonesia.
His father’s work as a diplomat meant the family moved frequently during Henk’s early years, taking him to various locations around the world.
The family eventually settled in New York City when Henk was around eleven years old.
He attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, a specialized public school known for its science and technology focus, where he first encountered computer programming. Henk graduated from Stuyvesant in 1972.
After high school, he enrolled at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he studied computer science and role-playing games. He did not complete his degree.
During his time at the university, he met Akemi, the woman who would become his wife.
Following her back to Japan after she returned there to complete her own studies, Rogers found himself drawn into Japan’s emerging technology scene.
Henk Rogers Age / Birthday
Henk Rogers is 72 years old as of 2026, born on December 24, 1953.
His zodiac sign is Capricorn, a sign often associated with determination, strategic thinking, and long-term ambition.
At 72, he remains active across multiple companies focused on clean energy and space settlement.
Henk Rogers Ethnicity and Nationality
Henk Rogers holds dual Dutch and American nationality. His ethnic background is Dutch-Indonesian, part of the Indo community that emerged from Dutch colonial history in what is now Indonesia.
He has lived in the United States for most of his adult life, based primarily in Hawaii since the mid-1990s.
Henk Rogers Height and Weight
Henk Rogers stands approximately 6 feet 1 inch tall, which is about 183 centimeters or 1.83 meters. His weight is reported at around 85 kg, or about 187 lbs.
He carries a tall, lean build and has maintained a public presence at events and conferences well into his seventies.
Henk Rogers Education
Rogers attended Stuyvesant High School in New York City, graduating in 1972.
He then enrolled at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to study computer science, though he left the university before completing his degree.
That background in programming and games provided the foundation for his career in Japan and, later, his work in licensing and technology.
Henk Rogers Career
Rogers launched his professional career in Japan in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
He entered the gem trade initially through his step-father’s business, then pivoted to video game development as the Japanese gaming market began to take shape.
The Black Onyx and Early Game Development (1984–1987)
In 1984, Rogers founded Bullet-Proof Software, a Japanese game development company.
That same year, he released The Black Onyx, a role-playing game that became the best-selling game in Japan at the time.
The game popularized the RPG format in the Japanese market and is credited with laying the groundwork for Japan’s later dominance in the genre.
He designed The Black Onyx after studying role-playing games while at the University of Hawaii.
The game required players to navigate dungeons and develop characters, a concept that was largely new to Japanese audiences.
Bullet-Proof Software followed The Black Onyx with additional titles throughout the 1980s.
Discovering and Securing Tetris (1988–1996)
Rogers encountered Tetris for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 1988.
He immediately recognized the game’s potential and flew to Moscow without a prior invitation to negotiate directly with ELORG, the Soviet government organization that held the licensing rights.
During those Moscow negotiations, Rogers secured the international rights to distribute Tetris for home gaming consoles and handheld devices.
He also formed a close friendship with Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov during that trip, a partnership that would define both men’s careers for decades.
The deal Rogers made with ELORG allowed Tetris to launch alongside the Nintendo Game Boy in 1989. That pairing drove the Game Boy to massive commercial success and made Tetris the best-selling Game Boy title of all time.
His journey to Moscow was later depicted in the 2023 Apple TV+ film Tetris, in which Taron Egerton portrayed Rogers.
The film dramatized the complex licensing disputes and negotiations that led to the game’s global release.
In 1996, when Pajitnov recovered the rights to Tetris from the Soviet successor bodies, the two men co-founded The Tetris Company together.
Rogers also established Blue Planet Software to serve as the exclusive brand manager and licensing agent for the Tetris trademark worldwide.
Clean Energy and Space Ventures (2005–Present)
A near-fatal heart attack in 2005 prompted Rogers to reassess his priorities. He concluded that ending the use of fossil fuels on Earth and establishing a human presence in space were the two most important problems he could work on.
In 2007, Rogers founded the Blue Planet Foundation, a nonprofit based in Honolulu focused on advancing clean energy in Hawaii.
The Foundation led the campaign that resulted in Hawaii becoming the first state in the United States to pass a 100% renewable energy law in 2015, mandating that Hawaii reach 100% renewable electricity by 2045.
In 2015, Rogers also founded Blue Planet Energy, a company producing lithium-ion battery storage systems for homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure.
Blue Planet Energy’s batteries use lithium ferrous phosphate chemistry rather than the more volatile nickel manganese cobalt chemistry common in other systems.
He also founded Blue Planet Research, a private laboratory designing off-grid energy systems and Moon-Mars habitat prototypes.
The International Moonbase Alliance, another organization Rogers created, focuses on building sustainable settlements on the Moon and Mars and positioning Hawaii as a hub for space industry development.
By 2026, Rogers had founded or co-founded ten companies and charitable organizations across gaming, energy storage, and space exploration.
Rogers received the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) Pioneer Hall of Fame award. Hawaii Business magazine also named him CEO of the Year during his tenure leading his energy companies.
Henk Rogers Awards and Recognition
Here are some awards.
- AIAS Pioneer Hall of Fame inductee
- Hawaii Business Magazine CEO of the Year
- Special Prize at the Japan Game Awards
Henk Rogers Wife
Henk Rogers married Akemi Rogers on November 6, 1977. The two met as students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
After Akemi returned to Japan to complete her education, Henk followed her there and the two built their life together in Japan before eventually relocating to Hawaii in the 1990s.
Akemi served as a crucial support throughout Rogers’s career. While Rogers traveled extensively for business, often spending months abroad, Akemi raised their four children and supported his ventures from home.
She also helped with the early work establishing The Tetris Company.
Akemi and Henk later co-founded the Henk and Akemi Rogers Ohana Foundation, a community-focused charitable organization in Hawaii. Akemi serves as its President and Director.
Henk Rogers Children
Henk and Akemi Rogers have four children together: Maya Rogers, Julie Rogers, Michael Rogers, and Leonard Rogers.
Maya Rogers is the President and CEO of The Tetris Company, a role she took on in 2014. She oversees the global licensing and brand management of one of the most recognized game franchises in the world.
Julie Rogers serves as the Executive Director of Akahiao. Leonard Rogers, also known as Leo, is the CEO of R Bridge LLC.
All four children have maintained connections to their parents’ philanthropic and business work through the Henk and Akemi Rogers Ohana Foundation.
Henk Rogers Net Worth
Henk Rogers’s estimated net worth is $22 million as of 2026.
His wealth comes primarily from his stake in The Tetris Company and Blue Planet Software, which manage the global Tetris licensing operation.
Tetris remains one of the most widely licensed game properties in the world, with ongoing royalties from mobile, console, and other platform releases.
His clean energy companies, including Blue Planet Energy, represent additional value. Blue Planet Energy has grown into a recognized player in residential and commercial battery storage systems.
Rogers also draws income from speaking engagements and advisory roles. He has spoken extensively at conferences on both gaming history and renewable energy transitions.
Henk Rogers Social Media
Henk Rogers maintains an active presence on Instagram at @henkrogers.
He also operates a personal website at henkrogers.com, where he documents his career timeline and current projects.
Conclusion
Henk Rogers traveled to Moscow without an invitation, secured the Tetris license over competing bids, and helped make it the defining game of the Game Boy era, all before his fortieth birthday.
He then spent the next two decades building a clean energy and space exploration portfolio in Hawaii, proving his instinct for consequential bets extends well beyond the games industry.