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🇦🇷 Argentina /Technology

Tetris distances itself from White House video game targeting migrants

From Clarín · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The Tetris Company said it did not participate in or authorize the White House game "Build the Wall," which resembles Tetris and other games.
  • The game instructed players to protect the border from an approaching "horde," prompting criticism from rights groups over its themes.
  • Tetris said it was reviewing the matter and takes copyright infringement seriously, while the White House defended the project as a way to present the president's achievements.

The Tetris Company said it never authorized the White House to use its iconic imagery in "Build the Wall," an online game launched by Donald Trump's administration.

The Tetris Company did not participate in the creation of 'Build the Wall' and did not authorize or license the Tetris trademark or intellectual property for the game.

· The Tetris CompanyThe company denied approving the use of its brand or intellectual property in the White House game.

"The Tetris Company did not participate in the creation of 'Build the Wall' and did not authorize or license the Tetris trademark or intellectual property for the game," the company said in a statement to AFP. "We are currently reviewing the matter," it added.

The block-stacking game, available on the official White House website, instructed players to "protect the border from the approaching horde." Its visuals and promotional material appeared similar to games associated with Tetris and other major developers, including Sega, Microsoft's Xbox and the Flappy Bird Foundation. Tetris later wrote on social media: "We take copyright infringement very seriously."

We are currently reviewing the matter.

· The Tetris CompanyThe company said it was examining the apparent use of its imagery and intellectual property.

Microsoft did not respond to requests for comment, and Sega Corporation could not immediately be reached. Rights organizations condemned the game's themes, which critics described as racist.

We take copyright infringement very seriously.

· The Tetris CompanyTetris addressed the issue in a social media post.

"This makes me sick. They have been playing with people's lives for years, and now they have made a video game out of what they are doing," Amerika Garcia Grewal, co-director of the Frontera Federation in Eagle Pass, Texas, told AFP. The White House said the administration was focused on finding innovative ways to present the president's achievements in a form that connected with Americans as the administration sought to persuade voters that Trump's second term had been successful ahead of November's midterm elections.

This makes me sick. They have been playing with people's lives for years, and now they have made a video game out of what they are doing.

· Amerika Garcia GrewalThe Frontera Federation co-director criticized the game's treatment of migration and border policy.
About this summary

Originally published by Clarín in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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