By Dexerto | Created at 2026-09-04 19:02:26 | Updated at 2026-09-04 19:42:08
43 minutes ago
Tetris has distanced itself from a White House browser game inspired by the iconic puzzler, warning that it takes copyright infringement “very seriously.”
On September 3, the White House launched an online arcade containing five retro-style games promoting President Donald Trump’s political agenda.
One of the games, Build the Wall, borrows heavily from Tetris. Players stack falling blocks to defend the southern border during a “zombie border siege” and “protect the border from the coming horde.”
Allowing the blocks to reach the top of the screen triggers a “border breached” message.
Tetris distances itself from White House game
Shortly after the arcade went live, the official Tetris account issued a response emphasizing that it had no connection to the project.
“At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them,” the company said. “To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community.”
The accompanying post added: “The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall.’”
It then ended with a pointed legal warning: “We take copyright infringement very seriously.”
Tetris has not announced a lawsuit or confirmed whether it has sent the White House a formal cease-and-desist letter.
Build the Wall is one of several games in the arcade modeled after established titles. Rio Run resembles Snake and tasks players with patrolling the Rio Grande, while Flappy Bill follows the format of viral mobile hit Flappy Bird.
Other games focus on sorting school lunches and collecting money for Trump Accounts. A sixth title is listed as “coming soon.”
A White House official told CNN the arcade was designed to showcase “a culture of fun and winning.”
The dispute follows a series of clashes over the US government’s use of gaming and anime properties. Japan previously warned the government to stop using Nintendo and Pokémon in political memes, while Yu-Gi-Oh also denied involvement after anime footage appeared in White House videos.
