Tetris Company distances itself from the White House border game

The company behind the classic video game Tetris has distanced itself from an online game that was published on the White House website. The game is about building a wall on the border with Mexico. "The Tetris Company was not involved in the development of Build the Wall," the company told the AFP news agency.

The Tetris Company "has not authorized or licensed the use of the Tetris trademark or intellectual property for the game," the statement said. The matter is currently being examined. "We at Tetris believe in the power of connection and in bringing people together instead of dividing them." The company takes copyright infringements "very seriously."

Build the Wall refers to the barrier on the border with Mexico, most of which is already in place and should be completed by the end of next year. The White House website says the goal of the game is to "protect the border from the coming horde."

Criticism from human rights organizations

The game is part of a total of five online games that the White House offers on its website. All contain elements reminiscent of well-known games. The title Rio Run, for example, is based on Snake. Users can move the digital version of US Border Patrol Agent Tom Homan across the playing field. The goal is to apprehend as many migrants as possible who have crossed the Rio Grande River at the border with Mexico.

Human rights organizations heavily criticized the White House over the games. The game designers have "lost touch with what it means to be human," America Garcia Grewal from the Frontera Federation group in the state of Texas told the AFP news agency.