President Donald Trump’s White House has removed a Tetris-inspired online arcade game, following a copyright threat from The Tetris Company. The White House launched a new online arcade last week that featured games modelled on classic formats and tied to the Trump agenda, including Supply Line, where players sort school lunches to make them healthy, and Rio Run, where players simulate border patrol. One game launched was Build the Wall, which resembled the iconic block-stacking game.
As of Wednesday morning, that game is no longer visible on The White House’s Arcade section. It comes after The Tetris Company told Newsweek on Monday: "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.” “For more than 40 years, Tetris has brought people together across generations and cultures through play and joy. The objective of the game has always been to stack with purpose to clear as many lines as possible.
We are currently reviewing the matter," the statement continued. Following the launch of the games, The Tetris Company shared a post on Instagram confirming their position and issuing a warning. The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall’.
We take copyright infringement very seriously," they wrote. Newsweek has contacted the White House via email for comment and the Tetris Company via an online contact form outside of standard business hours. This is a developing story.
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