The White House Arcade games collection, published on the official White House website, has prompted a legal warning from The Tetris Company after one title lifted the format of the classic puzzle game to promote border enforcement.
The suite of five low-resolution games, announced Thursday, covers several planks of President Donald Trump’s agenda, from immigration to food standards to a new children’s savings scheme.
Tetris Company says it did not authorise White House Arcade games
In a statement on Friday, The Tetris Company said it ‘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 company added that the object of the original game is, in fact, to avoid building a wall. ‘For more than 40 years, Tetris has brought people together across generations and cultures through play and joy,’ it said. ‘We are currently reviewing the matter.’
‘Build the Wall’ casts the player as a defender tasked with protecting ‘the border from the coming horde,’ recasting the familiar falling-block mechanic as an immigration barrier.
A second immigration-themed title, ‘Rio Run,’ resembles the mobile game ‘Snake,’ with an icon resembling Trump collecting figures described as potential border crossers.
Five games span Trump policy agenda
The other three titles range across different policy areas. ‘Supply Line’ is modelled on the arcade game ‘Tapper’: food moves along an assembly line and players must reject items that fail ‘Make America Healthy Again’ standards.
‘Flappy Bill’ sends an eagle carrying a bill across the National Mall. ‘Trump Savings Tycoon’ asks players to collect money in the air to ‘Fill your kids’ Trump Accounts.’
The Trump Account is a $1,000 government savings deposit offered to every child born during Trump’s term. According to Chase, children born between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2028 who are US citizens with a Social Security number are eligible for that deposit.
A separate charitable element also exists. Up to 25 million children aged 10 or younger who were born before 1 January 2025 and live in ZIP codes with median incomes below $150,000 may qualify for a $250 Dell Foundation charitable deposit, Chase notes.
The White House promoted the Arcade launch on social media using animations that parody the loading screens of Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo. One post reworked the Sega logo to read ‘MAGA,’ shorthand for Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ slogan.
The Tetris Company’s statement that it is ‘currently reviewing the matter’ leaves open the question of whether formal legal action will follow.
