The Tetris Company has issued a statement regarding a US government-made parody of its tile-matching puzzle game, which has since been removed.
The developer said on social media that it was “not involved in the creation” of the game, and that it takes “copyright infringement very seriously.”
“At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them. To our fans everywhere; we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community.”
Last week, the White House launched a minigame site featuring several video game parodies based on President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
The Tetris clone, titled Build the Wall: Zombie Border Siege, involved stacking blocks to build a wall preventing ‘aliens’ from crossing the ‘Southern Border.’
Other games on the site included parodies of Flappy Bird and Snake. In the Snake-like game, players assumed the role of Border Patrol at the Southern border.
The US Department of Homeland Security previously said it would continue using video game memes to promote policy.
In a statement to journalist Alyssa Mercenate last year, it said: “We will reach people where they are with content they can relate to and understand, whether that be Halo, Pokémon, Lord of the Rings, or any other medium. DHS remains laser focused on bringing awareness to the flood of crime that criminal illegal aliens have inflicted on our country. We aren’t slowing down.”
Microsoft did not comment on the use of Halo. The Pokémon Company stated it was aware that its theme song and other footage appeared in a deportation video.
“We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand,” it told BBC News at the time.
“Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property.”
