The Tetris Company wants to be clear that it was not involved in the creation of the White House‘s “Build the Wall” game — an obvious copy of the famous block-dropping title — in which players must prevent zombie-like foreigners from crossing the “southern border” into the United States. The game company added, “We take copyright infringement very seriously.”
On Thursday, the Trump White House launched the whitehouse.gov/arcade website with six games. One of those is called “Build the Wall,” which tells players to “Protect the border from the coming horde.”
In a statement posted to social media Friday, the Tetris Company said: “At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them. To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community.”
The company also said this: “P.S. The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall’. P.P.S. We take copyright infringement very seriously.”
Here’s an image of the White House’s Tetris-like game, which includes the subtitle “ZOMBIE BORDER SIEGE.” The foreign invaders bounce off the wall a player has built and disintegrate, until the blocks have stacked above the upper bound and the game ends with the message “BORDER BREACHED.”
Asked whether the Tetris Company was considering taking legal action with respect to the White House’s “Build the Wall” game, a company rep said it is “currently reviewing the matter.”
“The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall’ and did not authorize or license the Tetris brand or intellectual property for the game,” the spokesperson said. “For more than 40 years, Tetris has brought people together across generations and cultures through play and joy. The objective of the game has always been to stack with purpose to clear as many lines as possible. We are currently reviewing the matter.”
Variety has reached out to the White House for comment.
Created in 1984, the Tetris brand “continues to be loved globally by people of all ages and all cultures,” the company says. Alexey Pajitnov, the Soviet programmer who is the game’s original creator, remains actively involved in the brand.
Billions of Tetris games are played online every year, and over 520 million units have been sold worldwide. The Tetris brand’s global licensee network includes major video game publishers, including Nintendo and Sega, as well as many partners in electronics, toys and games, apparel, accessories, entertainment and other areas.
Tetris Holding LLC is the owner of Tetris rights worldwide, and the Tetris Company is its exclusive licensee.
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