Tetris Company denies authorizing White House's unauthorized border wall game

The Tetris Company has confirmed it never authorized the White House to use its brand or intellectual property in an online arcade game released by the Trump administration.

"The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of Build the Wall and did not authorise or license the Tetris brand or intellectual property for the game," the company said in a statement issued on Friday. The company added that it is currently reviewing the matter.

Game Drew on Multiple Franchises

The Trump administration released the arcade on Thursday featuring a block-stacking game called Build the Wall that instructed players to "protect the border from the coming horde". The promotional content and arcade-style games used imagery that resembled not only Tetris but also games created by other major developers including Sega, Microsoft-owned Xbox and the Flappy Bird Foundation.

Company Emphasizes Brand Values

In a social media post, Tetris distanced itself from the game's message, stating: "At Tetris, we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them". The post concluded with a warning: "We take copyright infringement very seriously".

The controversy highlights potential legal risks when government entities appropriate commercial intellectual property without permission, particularly for politically charged content that may conflict with a brand's stated values.

Source: South China Morning Post