White House pulls Tetris-style ‘Build The Wall’ game after copyright concern
The White House has removed a Tetris-style browser game called "Build The Wall" from its website after The Tetris Company raised copyright concerns. The game invited players to stack blocks to build a border wall and was one of five arcade-style games featured on the site, reflecting a broader trend of the Trump administration weaving video game culture into its political messaging on social media.
The Tetris Company said on 4 September it had not been involved in creating the game and takes copyright infringement "very seriously", adding it believes in "building people together, not dividing them". The White House has not explained the takedown or responded to BBC requests for comment. Four other games remain live, including "Flappy Bill" (a Flappy Bird clone featuring a bald eagle dodging National Mall monuments) and "Rio Run" (a Snake-style game tracking a "Deported" count), both of which have drawn criticism from politicians such as Connecticut state senator Matt Lesser. The administration has faced similar backlash before, including over an AI-generated Halo-themed image of Trump and the use of Pokémon's Pikachu in a MAGA meme.
- White House removed its "Build The Wall" Tetris-style game
- Tetris Company had flagged copyright concerns over its likeness
- Four other border-themed arcade games remain on the site
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The White House regularly posts short browser games on its official site to promote administration messaging in a playful, internet-culture style, and the "Build The Wall" game was one of several styled on classic arcade titles. It let visitors stack blocks Tetris-style to construct a border wall, echoing the wider immigration enforcement stance the administration has pushed since Donald Trump returned to office.
The Tetris Company, which owns the rights to the Tetris brand and its distinctive falling-block gameplay, is the key outside party here. Companies that hold trademarks or copyrights typically object when their intellectual property appears to be used without permission, since letting it slide unchallenged can weaken their ability to protect it in future, and government use in a political context adds a further layer of sensitivity.
This episode is part of a broader pattern in which the current White House has used video game references, including Flappy Bird-style and Snake-style games and internet memes featuring characters such as Pikachu, as part of its online communication. This has repeatedly drawn objections both from rights holders concerned about unauthorised use of their properties and from politicians who see some of the game content as making light of serious policy areas such as immigration enforcement.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of this style of communication would argue that using familiar arcade-game formats is a legitimate, modern way for a government to make its policy priorities vivid and accessible to audiences who tune out traditional press releases, particularly younger, terminally online voters. They would point out that political communicators have long borrowed popular culture and humour to promote their record, and that turning border security and enforcement statistics into playable content is simply an inventive extension of that tradition rather than anything sinister. On the copyright dispute specifically, they would note that the White House acted promptly to remove the game once The Tetris Company objected, suggesting good-faith compliance with intellectual property concerns rather than defiance.
The case against
Critics would argue that rendering border enforcement and deportation figures as arcade scoreboards trivialises policies with profound human consequences, reducing families' displacement and separation to a game mechanic unbefitting the dignity of official government channels. They would contend that repeated episodes of this kind, including games tracking deportation counts and unauthorised use of copyrighted characters, point to a pattern of carelessness and a preference for viral provocation over sober, respectful governance. They would also note the White House's silence on why the Tetris-style game was pulled, and its continued hosting of similarly themed games despite criticism from elected officials, as evidence that the underlying approach has not genuinely changed.