White House pulls ‘Build The Wall’ game after copyright complaint
On 9 September the White House quietly removed a Tetris‑style minigame called Build The Wall from its official website. The game let players stack coloured blocks to construct a wall that “protects the border.” It was taken down after The Tetris Company lodged a copyright notice, arguing that the game used the trademarked Tetris look and feel without permission.
The White House has yet to issue an official statement explaining the removal, and all other responses are unverified. The Tetris Company’s statement stressed the importance of its intellectual property: "We take copyright infringement very seriously… the look and feel of Tetris is protected.” Historically, the company has taken legal action against similar infringements – most notably a settlement with the creator of the 2012 iPhone game Mino.
Other games on the site
While Build The Wall was removed, four other games remain in the White House’s arcade section. Flappy Bill is a reference to the viral Flappy Bird game, where players navigate a bald eagle through National Mall monuments. Rio Run mimics the classic Snake game and challenges players to patrol a line along a river while collecting “deported” targets. Other games also feature in the section, though none have yet drawn the same legal attention.
Video‑game culture and political messaging
The removal occurs amid broader criticism of the former Trump administration’s use of video‑game imagery and culture to convey political messaging. In October 2025 the White House X account shared an AI‑generated image of President Trump in a Halo‑style suit, and in March it posted a video mixing military footage with clips from the Halo franchise. The Pokémon Company also recently expressed concern over the use of its Pikachu imagery in a political meme. These incidents illustrate a growing trend of governments using game aesthetics in public outreach.
The future of similar political games will likely depend on clearer licensing agreements and an awareness of intellectual‑property constraints.
