Tetris warns White House 'Build the Wall' game infringes copyright — SkimNews
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- The Tetris Company said on social media Friday that it 'was not involved in the creation of Build the Wall' and 'take[s] copyright infringement very seriously,' telling Variety the White House 'did not authorize or license the Tetris brand or intellectual property.'
- The White House arcade, launched Thursday, features five games emulating arcade classics, including 'Build the Wall,' subtitled 'Zombie Border Siege,' where players stack blocks to keep zombies from crossing the southern border — ending in a 'BORDER BREACHED' message if they fail.
- Tetris added a values statement to its warning: 'At Tetris, we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them,' highlighting the political contrast with the game's immigration-themed premise.
- Two immigration-themed games anchor the arcade — 'Build the Wall' and 'Rio Run,' a snake-style game where a border patrol agent patrols the Rio Grande — alongside 'Trump Savings Tycoon,' 'Supply Line' (a Make America Healthy Again game), and 'Flappy Bill' (a Flappy Bird clone featuring a bald eagle carrying legislation over the National Mall).
- A Tetris spokesperson told Variety the company is 'reviewing the matter' when asked whether it is considering legal action, leaving the door open to a lawsuit.
Why it matters: The Tetris Company holds a tightly controlled IP — its statement that the White House never licensed or authorized use of the brand puts the administration on notice of a potential copyright suit over a game that frames immigration policy through zombie defense.
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