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Freedom Town, USA was a custom multiplayer map in the video game Fortnite Creative created to promote the Kamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign, albeit not endorsed by Epic Games themselves.[1][2] The map was themed around pledges made by Kamala Harris as part of her campaign, including tax breaks for small businesses and affordable housing.[3][4][5]

Freedom Town, USA
Fortnite location
A screenshot of Freedom Town, USA
First appearanceFortnite Creative
Last appearanceFortnite Creative
Created byKamala Harris 2024 presidential campaign
In-universe information
LocationUnited States

Freedom Town, USA was inspired by New York City and features multiple minigames. In one game, players were tasked with collecting materials to build houses.[4] Another game featured exploding footballs, a reference to Tim Walz's career as a high school football coach.[6]

Coinciding with the release of the map, in-game political signage, models, and audio cues were added to other maps in the game. In one instance, an audio clip of Harris' opponent Donald Trump saying "they're eating the dogs, eating the cats" played when the player collected a cat.[3][7][8]

Released on October 28, 2024, the map was created as part of an initiative by the Harris campaign to appeal to young, male voters.[3][9] The map was promoted by gaming influencers such as Huskerrs, Modelmorg,[6] Himalyahs, and Kdot.[3] The official trailer for the map featured the song "Neva Play" by Megan Thee Stallion.[7]

The map was met with very weak engagement,[10] with a peak player count of 383 concurrent players.[11][12] On November 7th, 2024, the map was deleted after Kamala Harris lost the 2024 presidential election.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Jenkins, Dwayne (October 28, 2024). "Kamala Harris Dropped a New Custom 'Fortnite' Map". VICE. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  2. ^ Harris and Trump campaigns turn to gamers for support. ABC News. October 29, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ a b c d Valentine, Rebekah (October 28, 2024). "Kamala Harris Is Courting Gamers Using Fortnite in the Last Week of the U.S. Presidential Campaign". IGN. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Kamala Harris reveals Fortnite Map: "Freedom Town, USA"". esports.gg. October 28, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  5. ^ "Kamala Harris Launches 'Freedom Town' Map On Fortnite Following Biden's 'Animal Crossing' In 2020". Times Now. October 29, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Kamala Harris Signs Pop Up in 'Fortnite' as Candidates Chase the Gamer Vote". Bloomberg.com. October 28, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Haner, Joanne (October 28, 2024). "Harris campaign releases its own Fortnite map". The Hill. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
  8. ^ Wolens, Joshua (October 28, 2024). "As US politics goes totally off the rails, Kamala Harris says to hell with it, let's start a Fortnite map". PC Gamer. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  9. ^ "Harris-Walz Campaign Targets Videogamers With Custom 'Fortnite' Map". The Wall Street Journal. October 28, 2024.
  10. ^ Kaplan, Juliana. "I spent a day in Kamala Harris' Fortnite town. It was full of policy details meant to reach young voters, but was mostly empty". Business Insider. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  11. ^ "Kamala Harris' Fortnite map flops massively with very low player count". Dexerto. October 29, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  12. ^ Aylmer, Jack; Larose, Mirlie; Henry, Jack (October 29, 2024). "Harris campaign's gun-free Fortnite map sees less than 400 players". Straight Arrow News. Retrieved November 27, 2024.