WASHINGTON — The White House has removed a Tetris-style immigration-themed video game from its official online arcade just days after The Tetris Company publicly objected to the game and warned that it takes copyright infringement “very seriously.”

The game, titled “Build the Wall” and subtitled “Zombie Border Siege,” was part of a collection of retro-style browser games recently launched by the White House to promote various elements of President Donald Trump’s policy agenda. Players stacked brightly colored falling blocks to construct a barrier along the southern border.

The game disappeared from the White House website this week, with its former page returning an error. The White House has not publicly explained why it was removed, and officials did not immediately respond to media requests for comment. The timing, however, came shortly after The Tetris Company said it had neither participated in nor authorized the game.

“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,” the company said after the White House arcade debuted. The company added that it was “currently reviewing the matter.”

In a separate social media statement, Tetris made its concerns even clearer.

“P.S. The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall’,” the company wrote. “P.P.S. We take copyright infringement very seriously.”

The company also sought to distance itself from the political message incorporated into the game, saying, “At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them.”

The White House unveiled its online Arcade on September 3, introducing a series of games modeled on familiar video game concepts but redesigned around Trump administration initiatives. The launch represented an unusual effort by the White House to use video games as a means of communicating the administration’s political and policy messages.

“Build the Wall” was among the most conspicuous of the games. Its opening screen featured the words “Stack Bricks. Hold the Line,” while players were instructed to “Protect the border from the coming horde.” The game used falling geometric pieces closely resembling those associated with Tetris, with players attempting to assemble them into a wall.

The Tetris Company has a history of aggressively protecting its intellectual property. In 2012, it settled a copyright lawsuit involving the mobile game Mino, whose developer was accused of copying protected visual elements of Tetris. The settlement followed a federal court ruling that allowed copyright claims concerning the game’s particular visual expression to proceed, despite broader limits on copyright protection for basic game mechanics.

The disappearance of “Build the Wall” has not meant the end of the White House’s online arcade. Four other games remained available following its removal.

Among them is “Rio Run,” a game based on mechanics reminiscent of the classic Snake game. Players patrol an area along the Rio Grande and collect figures representing migrants. At the end of a round, the game displays a “Deported” count showing how many characters the player collected.

Another game, “Flappy Bill,” takes inspiration from the viral mobile game Flappy Bird. Instead of controlling the original game’s bird, players guide a bald eagle carrying a piece of legislation through obstacles around Washington’s National Mall.

“Supply Line” focuses on the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, challenging players to sort foods moving along an assembly line and reject items that do not meet the game’s standards for healthy school meals.

“Trump Savings Tycoon,” meanwhile, has players collect money to fill children’s “Trump Accounts,” referring to the savings accounts established under Trump-backed legislation.

The arcade’s launch also borrowed imagery and design elements associated with several well-known video game companies. Promotional animations mimicked startup sequences associated with major gaming systems, while one animation transformed the familiar Sega-style presentation into the word “MAGA,” an abbreviation of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.

Thus far, The Tetris Company has been the most prominent gaming rights holder to publicly object. Other companies whose products or branding appeared to inspire portions of the arcade had not announced copyright challenges as of the days following the launch.

The arcade has also drawn political criticism unrelated to intellectual property.

Connecticut Democratic state Sen. Matt Lesser criticized the administration’s priorities in a social media post, writing: “Heating oil is near an all-time high but hey you can play Border Tsar Tom Homan in a video game.”

The games are part of a broader pattern by the Trump White House of incorporating video game and entertainment imagery into its social media messaging.

In October 2025, for example, the White House posted an AI-generated image depicting President Trump in armor associated with the Halo video game franchise. More recently, administration social media content related to U.S. military action against Iran incorporated imagery and references from video games and entertainment.

The use of gaming imagery has occasionally generated objections from people associated with the original works. Steve Downes, the voice actor known for portraying Halo protagonist Master Chief, criticized the use of his voice in a White House video, according to published reports.

The Pokémon Company International has also previously objected to the White House’s use of its imagery in political social media content.

The removal of “Build the Wall,” however, represents a particularly notable instance because it came only days after the arcade’s launch and after an explicit warning from the company controlling the intellectual property on which the game appeared to be modeled.

Neither the White House nor The Tetris Company has announced a lawsuit, and the White House has not confirmed that copyright concerns were the reason the game was removed. For now, the precise reason for the takedown remains officially unexplained.

{Matzav.com}