The makers of Tetris, a Russian game created by software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984, are threatening legal action against the White House over copyright infringement allegations regarding its new online game "Build the Wall", which appears to be a copycat challenge inspired by Tetris. The White House debuted five new arcade games on Thursday, including Build the Wall, which allows users to build the Southern border with colorful blocks. The makers of Tetris stated that they have no involvement in creating Build the Wall and take copyright infringement "very seriously". The White House has not publicly responded to Tetris' threats.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The White House has launched a series of arcade-style video games on its website, featuring titles such as "Build the Wall," "Rio Run," and "Trump Savings Tycoon." The games are designed to promote President Trump's agenda, including his immigration policies. In "Build the Wall," players stack blocks to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to repel zombies, while in "Rio Run" they collect and deport migrants along the Rio Grande. Tetris has issued a statement saying it did not give permission for the White House to use its iconic imagery for the game "Build the Wall," which is essentially a version of Tetris with a theme of immigration control. The games have been criticized for their tone, with some accusing the Trump administration of using them as a way to promote its agenda in a lighthearted and entertaining way. September 3 is the date when the White House launched the arcade website, which features five classic-style video games. The company behind Tetris has said it takes copyright infringement "very seriously" and is currently reviewing the matter.
Written for “White House Arcade Controversy” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 11 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but none of the 1 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 6400: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-07
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The makers of the Russian game, Tetris, hit out at the White House for alleged copyright infringement after the Trump Administration rolled out a copycat challenge.
asserted
Administration → sign → challenge
On Thursday, the White House debuted a new online game called Build the Wall on its official website, which appears to be a Tetris-inspired challenge that allows users to build the Southern border with colorful blocks.
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users → debut → blocks
A day later, the makers of Tetris called out the Republican administration, saying it takes 'copyright infringement very seriously' and said it had no involvement in the creation of the copycat game.
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it → call → game
'At Tetris, we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them,' it said in a statement.
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it → believe → statement
Tetris makers told Variety it is looking into legal action against the White House.
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it → tell → House
The White House has not publicly responded to Tetris.
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House → respond → Tetris
The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House and Tetris for comment.
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Mail → reach → comment
The Russian game, which was created by software engineer Alexey Pajitnov, isn't the only game the White House appeared to rip off.
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House → create → Pajitnov
On Wednesday, its social media accounts advertised an online arcade on the White House website, with games like Flappy Bill, Build the Wall and Trump Savings Tycoon, among others.
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accounts → advertise → others
The White House debuted five new arcade games on Thursday, including Build the Wall
The game appears to be a rip off of Tetris.
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game → debut → Tetris
It has colorful blocks that are stacked to build the Southern wall
The games appear to take inspiration from Flappy Bird, Tetris and Snake, among other popular childhood games.
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games → have → games
'CAN'T STOP WINNING,' the post was captioned.
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post → stop → ?
There are a total of five games available to play, with a sixth one coming soon.
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one → be → games
The games all promote the Trump Administration's agenda, from protecting the Southern border, opening a Trump Account, and Make America Healthy Again, among others.
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America → promote → others
Pajitnov started Tetris in 1984 and it quickly became a hit in the Soviet Union.
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it → start → Union
The official Tetris game is pictured.
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game → picture → ?
Tetris makers said it had no involvement in making Build the Wall and is looking into legal action against the White House
The White House has not publicly responded to Tetris' threats.
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House → say → threats
It also appeared to make copycat games of Snake and Flappy Bird as well
It came to desktops in North America and Europe in 1988.
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It → appear → 1988
Later that year, it was released on Nintendo and sold over two million copies.
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it → release → copies
It eventually hit Game Boys and sold 35 million copies.
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It → hit → copies
Since then, the game has become beloved by millions across the world.
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game → become → world
