White House pulls Tetris-style 'Build The Wall' game after copyright concern
The Tetris Company says it takes "copyright infringement very seriously" and is not involved with the game.
White House removes Tetris-like 'Build The Wall' game after copyright worries
The White House has removed a Tetris-style game from its website called "Build The Wall" just days after The Tetris Company objected to its use of the game’s likeness.
The game, in which players stacked blocks to construct a wall to "protect the border", was one of five arcade games that had appeared on the White House website.
The White House has not replied to BBC requests for comment or provided any official explanation for the removal.
"At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and building people together, not dividing them," the company said in its first response to the game.
"To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we're grateful to have you in our community."
The Tetris Company has previously succeeded in taking legal action against firms accused of infringing its copyright, settling for an undisclosed sum with the creators of the iPhone game Mino in 2012, which it said copied the look and feel of the block-building game.
Four other arcade games are still available in the mini-game section of the White House website.
"Flappy Bill", a version of the 2013 viral hit Flappy Bird, has players fly a bald eagle while dodging monuments from the National Mall.
In Rio Run, players must "patrol the line along the river", with gameplay similar to the classic phone game Snake.
When players hit the edge of the map, a "Deported" number appears showing how many people the player managed to catch.
The arcade section is only one example of how the Trump administration has increasingly folded video game culture into its political messaging on social media.
In October 2025, the official White House X account faced criticism for posting an AI-generated image of President Trump
Meanwhile on 6 March it posted a video that combined footage of US military strikes in Iran with film and TV clips, as well as a clip from Halo's protagonist Master Chief saying "finishing this fight".
The post was condemned by Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes in a now-deleted tweet that called on "the producers of this disgusting and juvenile war porn" to remove his voice from the video.
The Pokémon Company International also criticised the White House's use of its imagery in March, when it included a tiny version of the popular character Pikachu in an online meme with the phrase "Make America Great Again".