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Kumamoto Prefecture announced the release of the custom Kumamon Island map for Fortnite. The map is a business simulation game that will appear in Fortnite on January 31, 2024. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]
The Kumamon Island game map was developed using Fortnite’s Creative Mode tools by the Kumamoto Prefectural government in collaboration with advertisement company CyberAgent. The map was revealed during a Kumamoto Fortnite Press Conference to promote Kumamoto Prefecture. The custom map will take approximately 40 to 60 minutes to complete.
Kumamon Island is designed to have gameplay similar to that of Tycoon-style games. The setup for the game involves helping various Kumamon in developing a Kumamon robot to promote Kumamoto to the rest of the world, and helping them solve the problems that arise through the robot’s construction. Several of Kumamoto’s tourist landmarks and local products will appear as part of the map, and players will have to build Kumamoto Castle as one of the steps to finish the production of the robot.
You can check out some screenshots from Kumamon Island here:
The decision to make this map is the response of the Kumamoto Prefectural office wanting to promote the burgeoning local semiconductor industry through the Metaverse. An official website explaining more about Kumamon Island and the real-life elements present in the game is also expected to open soon.
Kumamon Island is the first Fortnite map created by an official Japanese governmental office. However, in the Japanese entertainment industry, Hololive Vtuber Mori Calliope received a Fortnite custom map intended to promote the Vtuber’s MoriZakura cherry blossom liqueur.
Fortnite is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. The map code for Kumamon Island will appear on January 31, 2024, at 10 am JST.
