White House removes Tetris-style “Build the Wall” game from website

The White House removed a Tetris-style game called “Build the Wall” from its website on Tuesday, four days after the company behind the classic video game warned that it takes copyright violations seriously.

The block-stacking game asked players to “protect the border from an approaching horde.” It appeared on the White House website on Thursday but was no longer available at whitehouse.gov/arcade on Tuesday.

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

The release drew criticism over what opponents described as racist themes, as well as questions about whether it infringed Tetris’s intellectual property. The White House did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment on why the game had been removed.

Tetris Company told AFP that it had played no role in creating “Build the Wall” and had not authorized or licensed the Tetris trademark or other intellectual property for it. The company said it was reviewing the matter when asked about possible legal action. “In Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them,” it wrote on X.

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In Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them.