White House removes 'Build the Wall' game after Tetris Company complaint
The US government website has removed the game 'Build the Wall' after the Tetris Company said it was not involved and takes copyright infringement seriously. Another border-themed game, 'Rio Run', remains accessible.
A video game resembling Tetris that was posted on the White House website has been taken down following a complaint from the Tetris Company. The game, called “Build the Wall,” required players to stack blocks of various shapes and sizes, mirroring Tetris-style gameplay. Its stated goal was to construct a wall to repel a so-called “zombie border siege.” The game drew significant criticism and was widely described as racist.
After the game came to public attention, the Tetris Company, which owns the rights to the original Tetris, issued a statement clarifying that it had no role in the creation of “Build the Wall.” In an Instagram post, the company emphasized that copyright infringement is something it takes very seriously.
The page for the game now returns a 404 error, indicating it no longer exists on the government website. TechCrunch reported that the game’s disappearance was first spotted by Kotaku. TechCrunch has also reached out to the Trump administration for comment but has not received a response yet.
Meanwhile, another arcade-style game called “Rio Run” remains visible on the same government portal. In that game, players control a white male character whose objective is to deport as many immigrant characters as possible. The continued presence of this game adds to ongoing discussions about the content posted by the administration and its potential to offend or stereotype.
