The White House, during Donald Trump’s presidency, has removed an online arcade game inspired by Tetris after receiving a copyright warning from The Tetris Company. The game was part of a recently launched online arcade featuring classic-style games aligned with Trump’s agenda. These included Supply Line, where players organize school lunches for healthiness, and Rio Run, simulating border patrol operations.
One particular game, titled Build the Wall, bore a resemblance to the iconic block-stacking game Tetris. However, by Wednesday morning, it was no longer available on the White House’s arcade section.
The Tetris Company stated: “The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall’ and did not authorize or license the Tetris brand or intellectual property for the game.”
Tetris, a game known for bringing joy and connection across generations with its line-clearing purpose, is celebrating over 40 years of engaging play. The company also mentioned they are reviewing the situation.
After the launch of these games, The Tetris Company took to Instagram to reiterate their stance and issue a copyright warning. They emphasized, “The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall’. We take copyright infringement very seriously.”
The situation is still unfolding and updates are expected.