The Trump Administration's "Build the Wall" Tetris clone has been removed from the White House's Arcade.Gov website less than a week after its launch. The game, introduced as part of an initiative to connect with American gamers, is no longer available on the site, while four other games launched alongside it remain accessible.
Players who engaged with "Build the Wall" reportedly found its design to be offensive, with a gameplay objective described as "protect the border from the incoming horde." The game mechanics were also criticized, as players found it unwinnable. Instead of clearing lines, blocks would continuously fall until the screen filled, leading to an unavoidable "game over" screen.
The launch of Arcade.Gov, which referenced gaming companies like Nintendo and Sega on social media, quickly drew backlash online. The controversy prompted a response from The Tetris Company. "At Tetris, we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them," the company stated. "To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we're grateful to have you in our community." The Tetris Company also noted its non-involvement in the creation of "Build the Wall" and indicated that it takes copyright infringement seriously, though it did not specify any immediate plans for action.
The Tetris Company further elaborated on its position in a statement to The Verge, emphasizing the game's long-standing objective of stacking to clear lines and expressing that they were reviewing the matter. The specific reasons for the removal of "Build the Wall" from the White House website have not been disclosed.