Biden/Harris campaign heads to 'Fortnite' ahead of Election Day
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are going full-send for the gamer vote.
Ahead of Election Day 2020 (have you made your voting plan yet?), the Biden/Harris ticket is headed to Fortnite. In a new custom map, called "Build Back Better with Biden" and located in "Reboot City," players can complete a solo adventure roughly 20-30 minutes long, designed to promote awareness of the candidates' economic recovery plan.
"With voting underway and days until Election Day, we are continuing to meet people everywhere they are online and offline with innovative and thoughtful activations," explained Christian Tom, director of digital partnerships for the Biden/Harris campaign, in a statement provided to Mashable.
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"We designed the custom 'Build Back Better with Biden' Fortnite map to do just that — engaging players in a substantive, approachable, and fun way to reach and mobilize voters."
The Biden/Harris Fortnite takeover comes after the campaign's Animal Crossing: New Horizons outreach, as well as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's wildly successful Among Us livestream.
Exclusive to Mashable, here's everything you can expect from the "Build Back Better with Biden" Fortnite map, going live tonight at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT — and debuting concurrently on Twitch.
Complete six Biden/Harris-themed Fortnite challenges
The Biden-Harris Fortnite map will feature six challenges to complete, many of them geared toward promoting Biden's proposed plans for a clean energy economy (and adorably shouting out the Biden family dogs, Champ and Major). As relayed to Mashable by the Biden for President team, here's what players will be tasked with:
(1) Help Build a New Research Facility at Champ’s Construction Site: "Build a new research facility at the local Historically Black College. Build to the top, and stay inside the blueprints."
(2) Install Three Scranton Towers: "Help install these new 5G Broadband Towers to ensure every American has access to broadband."
(3) Restore the Aviator River: "Race to collect industrial waste and restore the river. This challenge highlights Biden’s plan to mobilize the next generation of conservation and resilience workers through a Civilian Climate Corps."
(4) Visit Joe’s Famous Ice Cream Shop: "Visit the Ice Cream shop and slide down the colors (flavors) to get as much ice cream as you can."
(5) Help Make Major’s Auto Factory Run Clean: "They modified the line to produce electric cars and are now retrofitting the offices before reopening. Install new high efficiency AC units and unwrap the solar panels on the roof."
(6) Complete Kamala's Sneaker Run: "Find all 10 of Kamala’s sneakers around the city."
Visit the in-game polling station
All across the map, players will see signs encouraging them to text "Fortnite" to 30330 or visit makeaplan.com directly. If you do, you'll be presented with information on voting early in-person, dropping off your ballot, and voting in-person on Election Day.
After you're sure your vote will count in real life, stop by the in-game polling station!
Keep an eye out for Biden/Harris Easter eggs
Reboot City is full of Easter eggs related to the presidential and vice presidential hopefuls.
Keep your eyes peeled for Champ and Major's homes, collectibles (including a boogie bomb, flashlight, "chiller grenade," and more), the appropriately named "No Malarkey Station," and the Biden/Harris in-game campaign headquarters.
Mashable's review
Mashable's deputy culture editor Brian Koerber, an avid Fortnite fan, checked out the map ahead of its release to provide potential players with a spoiler-free review:
"While it's easy for political campaigns collaborating with video games to come off as forced and cheesy, the Biden campaign's Fortnite crossover feels like a win. I think this is a really great opportunity for parents to spend some time with their kids in the lead-up to the election, and for young players to learn about democracy while playing their favorite game."
