It’s the final week before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, and near the end of her campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris is making an offer aimed at a group not often targeted in such races: gamers.
Today, Harris’ campaign is launching its own Fortnite map: Freedom Town, USA. It’s a custom, imaginative map themed around some of Harris’ campaign pledges, including: tax breaks for diminutive businesses ia focus on affordable housing. The map can be found on Fortnite Creative starting today using the code 733155366547.
Freedom Town, USA is joined by political takeovers of at least eight other Fortnite Creative maps by Fortnite creators Jordan “Huskerss” Thomas, Morgan “MODELMORG” Pope, Lyah “Himalyahs” Barberan, and Khairi “Kdot” Harris. These maps (Drive the city, Troll bed wars, Boxfights memes, Super Box PvP, Football boxing fights, Bullseye 2v2, Bullseye 1v1AND Bullseye 3v3) will feature in-game political signage, custom models, and thematic audio cues. One of those clues, played while picking up the cat, includes a quote from former President Donald Trump, Harris’ rival: “they eat dogs, they eat cats“
The move is part of the Harris campaign’s recent, much broader appeal to reach juvenile male voters through video games. Other recent efforts include a Geeks & Nerds to raise money for Harrisa weekend Twitch broadcast during which vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz played Madden NFL and Crazy Taxi with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as a number of advertising efforts across mobile gaming, sports betting platforms and YouTube channels. (Harris’ campaign was also advertised on IGN. You can please review our policy on separation of editorial and advertising interests here.)
While the Trump campaign hasn’t made a similar targeted push toward the gaming audience, the former president has spoken out about video games before. During his tenure in the White House, President Trump blamed violent video games for the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, stating that such games “shape the thoughts of young people” and releasing a collection of “violent video games” that included excerpts from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Wolfenstein, Dead by Daylight, Sniper Elite and Fallout 4. Former President Trump’s campaign has been contacted for comment.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Her posts can be found on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Have a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.