The White House has removed its Tetris-inspired game from its online arcade just days after The Tetris Company warned that it takes copyright infringement “very seriously.”
On September 3, the White House launched Arcade.gov, a collection of browser games that were clones of existing titles.
One of those titles, Build the Wall, closely followed the familiar Tetris format. Players stacked falling blocks to defend the southern border from a “zombie border siege,” with the game ending if the blocks reached the top of the screen.
However, Build the Wall has now disappeared from the arcade.
White HouseWhite House removes Build the Wall after Tetris warning
The removal comes four days after Tetris publicly distanced itself from the White House game.
“The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall,’” the company said in a post on X.
It added: “We take copyright infringement very seriously.”
A spokesperson also told The Verge that Tetris has spent more than 40 years bringing people together through play and confirmed the company was “reviewing the matter.”
It remains unclear whether The Tetris Company contacted the White House directly or sent a formal cease-and-desist letter. Neither side has confirmed that the copyright warning was the reason for the game’s removal.
The other four titles remain playable. Flappy Bill resembles Flappy Bird, Supply Line takes inspiration from Tapper, Rio Run uses gameplay similar to Snake, and Trump Savings Tycoon tasks players with collecting money for Trump Accounts.
The dispute is the latest clash over the US government’s use of gaming and anime properties. Japan previously urged officials to stop using Nintendo and Pokémon characters in political posts, while Yu-Gi-Oh denied involvement after clips from the anime appeared in official White House videos.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
