The White House's liberal use of gaming iconography to promote wars, ICE, and anything the government wishes to look cool, has already landed it in a bit of legal trouble. Nintendo opted to sue the US government, largely for the Trump tariffs, but seeing Pokémon Pokopia's title page redesigned to promote the war in Iran can't have helped the Japanese company's relations with the White House.
Recently, a video promoted by the White House on social media utilised Master Chief's likeness and voice, again to promote the conflict in Iran. Master Chief's voice actor, Steve Downes, stepped in over the weekend to clarify he had no involvement in the video, nor was his voice used with his consent.
"It has come to my attention that there is at least one propaganda video circulating that was either produced or at the very least endorsed by the White House that uses images of Master Chief and uses my voice to support the war in Iran," Downes began. "I did not participate in nor was I consulted, nor do I endorse the use of my voice in this video, or the message it conveys."
<social>https://x.com/SteveDownes117/status/2030736342464835675</social>
"I demand that the producers of this disgusting and juvenile war porn remove my voice immediately," Downes concluded. As of the time of writing, the video is still up, including other video game-based tributes to the war, citing titles like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Call of Duty.