BOWLING GREEN, KY (July 16, 2020) – Hitcents and Stardock today released The Political Machine 2020, for iOS and Android. This popular political strategy/simulation game is back with new candidates for the 2020 November election. Now available for a special $0.99 price during its launch weekend (ending midnight July 19th), this mobile strategy game allows players to play as an established politician, or create their own, as they run a campaign for the presidency.
In The Political Machine 2020, you will need to pick your issues carefully and court the votes of the swing states in order to win the electoral college and beat your opponent. Players can choose from a variety of free candidates including Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump and Michael Pence or purchase others such as Andrew Yang, George W. Bush and Mitt Romney.
The Political Machine 2020 features unique ideology trees for candidates, allowing for different experiences with every playthrough as players customize their playstyle based on the issues they endorse. Candidates can “earn” ideology points from Town Halls and use them to own certain issues. Play as Bernie Sanders and take ownership of the ‘Medicare for All’ issue, or play as Donald Trump to own ‘Build the Wall’. Like in the real election, a candidate must garner at least 270 votes in the electoral college to win, so you’ll need to pay attention to what issues voters care about in the swing states. Each issue is modeled on a per state basis with voter support based on real current polling data to model the U.S., which allows for accurate simulations of how those issues will play out in different states. What plays well in New York or California might hurt players in Ohio or Florida.
“The Political Machine series has been a perennial favorite for the last four presidential elections, as players vie to become the leader of the U.S. while taking on the challenges that come with the job -- natural disasters, national tragedies, economic crises, etc. This strategy/sim keeps up-to-date with today’s news to keep the game current to events going on in the world,” said Stardock CEO Brad Wardell.
The 2020 edition is a complete update of the previous games in the series, with improved graphics and a more sophisticated simulation that combines polling data, voter enthusiasm, and recent U.S. census results to deliver a game that is fun to play for casual players, and realistic enough for political wonks.
The Political Machine 2020 is available on iOS and Android for $0.99 (until midnight July 19th). After July 19th, it will retail for $2.99. It is also available on Steam and Stardock for $14.99.
The Political Machine 2020's Game Features:
- Choose or create your Candidate - Play as one of several real-world candidates, each with their own custom stats like stamina, intelligence, charisma, media bias, and more. Or, you can customize your own front runner in the race for the White House.
- Manage your Campaign Budget - Purchase advertisements, travel across the country to campaign, and hire operatives to enhance your PR or cripple your opponent. Be wary - if you overspend and need extra cash, it might come from somewhere that will shake voters’ confidence in you!
- Spread your Ideology – Go to Town Hall events to earn ideology points and solidify your position on hot issues with your voters.
- Generate Enthusiasm - Use your power and money to purchase ads to discredit your opponent and influence voters. The greater enthusiasm your base has for an issue, the more effective your ad campaigns will be.
- Participate in Interviews - Accept invitations to various talk shows across the country in order to share your opinion on issues important to the American people.
- Practice your Politics - A sophisticated underlying simulation model uses census data and real issues to test your political savvy.
- Be Ready for Anything - Torrid affairs, natural disasters, email scandals, and other news taken from the headlines can pop up and change the direction of the campaign for better or worse.