Kamala Harris drops a Fortnite campaign to win over gamers

Fortnite map Freedom Town, USA, is launching today as part of Kamala Harris’ campaign. The map can be accessed with a specific code in Fortnite Creative. The campaign is part of Kamala Harris’ recent bids targeted at young male voters.

The custom creative map is based on the themes surrounding Harris’ campaign’s key policies. These themes include a tax break for small businesses and a priority for affordable housing. 

Harris’ Campaign bids Fortnite gamers for votes

Players can access the map using the code (733155366547) and can be observed in Fortnite partner streams from gaming content creators and streamers such as Jordan “Huskerss” Thomas, Morgan “MODELMORG” Pope, Lyah “Himalyahs” Barberan, and Khairi “Kdot” Harris.

Gamers are not often targeted for election campaigns. As the final week before the 2024 U.S. presidential elections begins, Kamala Harris aims to capture votes from the gaming community, specifically the votes of young male citizens, in the final hours of her campaign. Freedom Town, USA, will include political in-game signage, custom models, and themed audio cues. One of these cues, played when collecting a cat, plays a quote from Harris’ main contender and former President Donald Trump: “they’re eating the dogs, eating the cats.”

The Fortnite map is part of a broader campaign to reach more young men for their votes, especially through video games. Her main rival, Donald Trump, turned to YouTube stars, comedians, and podcast hosts to win the “bro” vote. Harris was previously reported to place ads on video games and sports betting websites. 

Kamala Harris broadens her reach on young voters

According to NBC News, her ads have appeared on a popular sports betting company called DraftKings, as well as Yahoo Sports. Her campaigns have also involved actors such as Ben Stiller and sports legends. NBA legend Magic Johnson has appeared in one of Harris’ commercials, saying the presidential candidate will cut taxes for 100 million Americans.

Other gaming campaigns have involved a Geeks and Nerds for Harris fundraiser called the Battle of the Fandoms campaign fundraiser. During the fundraiser, two teams, Earth Heroes and Space Explorers, competed last month to raise funds for the candidate’s campaign.

The current Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz also delved into the gaming industry in August to campaign for the Democratic presidential nominee. Walz played Madden NFL and Crazy Taxi with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Data from Statistica suggests that there are 212 million gamers in the U.S. Donald Trump has not made efforts specifically inclined toward the U.S. gaming community. However, his recent interviews and talk shows with YouTubers and podcasters seek to target the same demographic of young people.

According to Polymarket polls, Donald Trump has a 60% chance of winning the elections, while Kamala Harris has a 34% chance of becoming the next U.S. president. The polls show that Harris leads in states such as Washington and Minnesota, while Trump leads in other states such as Arizona and Utah.