White House Takes Down Tetris Clone After Copyright Concerns from The Tetris Company

The White House has discreetly taken down a poorly executed Tetris clone from its controversial “arcade” website. This decision follows a public rebuke from The Tetris Company, which reminded everyone of its history of pursuing legal action against unauthorized clones. It appears that the administration quickly backtracked in response to the criticism.

On September 4, the White House launched a new site featuring a collection of offensive web games that clearly drew inspiration from more popular titles. One particularly egregious game was a Snake clone where players collected immigrants in a chain behind a white officer, aiming to remove them from the U.S. The games were poorly designed, visually unappealing, and reflected the administration’s failing policies on tariffs and immigration.

Among these was a Tetris-inspired game where players constructed the infamous “wall” along the U.S.-Mexico border. Just hours after the site went live, The Tetris Company issued a statement clarifying that it had no association with the game, emphasized its commitment to connecting people, and highlighted its serious stance on copyright infringement. This is well-documented on the company’s Wikipedia page, which details its numerous legal battles against other studios and businesses. As noted by VGC, it seems that the threat of legal action, possibly coupled with a lawyer’s letter, led to the removal of the Tetris clone from the White House arcade.

By the morning of September 8, the game titled Build the Wall was no longer accessible on the White House’s gaming portal. This incident marks one of the first instances of a video game company hinting at potential legal action against the Trump administration’s use of gaming imagery. The White House has previously utilized AI and video editing to create propaganda featuring franchises like Halo, Pokémon, Call of Duty, and Animal Crossing. In many cases, the respective companies made it clear they were not involved but refrained from any legal threats.

In contrast, The Tetris Company firmly stated its position and appears to have emerged victorious. It seems you don’t mess with The Tetris Company. Here’s hoping that more game developers find the courage to stand up in similar situations moving forward.