Tetris says it didn’t give White House permission for ‘Build the Wall’ game

Tetris Company declared on Friday that they did not grant the White House authorization for the utilization of their iconic imagery in a recently launched online arcade game labeled 'Build the Wall'. The statement released by the Tetris Company noted that they were not part of the game's creation and had not given permission for the use of their brand or intellectual property.

The game, which involves stacking blocks to "protect the border from the coming horde," featured imagery that emulated Tetris and other well-known game developers, including Sega, Microsoft's Xbox, and the Flappy Bird Foundation. The Tetris Company expressed their belief in connection and unity rather than division, adding that they take copyright infringement very seriously.

The White House games, posted on their official website under a new "arcade" page, drew criticism for their perceived racist themes and potential copyright infringement. One game, Flappy Bill, featured a bald eagle carrying a document that evoked images of Washington, while another, Build the Wall, had instructions to "protect the border from the coming horde."

Rights groups, such as the Frontera Federation in Eagle Pass, Texas, condemned the White House's actions, stating that they had been "playing games with people's lives for years" and treating people in the borderlands with suspicion and violence. The White House defended the games, claiming they were meant to showcase the president's accomplishments and connect with every American.