In a move to engage younger voters, Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign released its custom map, “Freedom Town, USA,” on the popular game “Fortnite” this week. Unlike most Fortnite maps, Freedom Town has no guns—a design decision that has garnered both praise and criticism on social media.
Harris’ campaign created Freedom Town to connect with the 16- to 24-year-old demographic that comprises much of Fortnite’s 400 million registered players. The map saw a peak of under 400 users in its first 24 hours. That’s far fewer than the 323,000 users who played more popular maps like “Ranked Reload.”
In traditional Fortnite matches, players use various weapons to eliminate each other until only one remains. However, Freedom Town shifts the focus to collecting supplies, building structures and finding campaign posters and activities tied to the Harris-Walz campaign’s messaging.
Reactions to the map have been mixed. Some users on social media expressed disappointment over the absence of weapons, while others offered positive feedback. Gene Park, a gaming critic for The Washington Post, said the map was “more thoughtfully designed than you’d expect.”
This year, political campaigns have placed increased emphasis on reaching the “gamer vote.” Former President Donald Trump recently appeared on a livestream with influencer Adin Ross, attracting over half a million viewers.
While it remains unclear how effective Freedom Town will be in reaching voters, Fortnite continues to be a powerful platform for messaging, with hundreds of millions of active players.