Mayor Trials Begin: Five Cities, Five Parks, One Temporary Test

Upland is built on property ownership, development, and the power of community. From collecting land to building neighborhoods, players like you shape the very foundation of this world. Now, we’re calling on those who see themselves as leaders, collaborators, and public servants of the metaverse to help guide what comes next.

We’re launching a limited-time experiment featuring Targeted Voting, a new system that allows us to open up votes to specific groups of players based on criteria like location, asset ownership, or participation. This gives us a more focused way to test future governance features, and the first test starts now.

This initial phase will take place at the city level, but the long-term vision is for parks and mayors to become neighborhood-specific, giving more communities the chance to lead, collaborate, and shape their shared spaces.

Nomination Deadline: Sunday, June 22 at 9AM PT
Voting Starts: Monday, June 23rd at 9AM PT
Voting Ends: Wednesday, June 25th at 9AM PT

This first trial introduces temporary mayor accounts and city-level collaborative parks in five cities. This is your chance to serve your city, rally your community, and help shape Upland’s future.

If you’re ready to lead, to collaborate, and to build alongside your fellow Uplanders, this is your moment.

The First Test Cities

Five cities have been selected for this limited-time experiment:

• San Francisco
• Los Angeles
• Queens
• Chicago
• Rio de Janeiro

If you’ve set your home address in one of these cities, you’re eligible to vote.

What Are Mayor Accounts

Each test city will elect a mayor, who will take on a special leadership role during this limited-time experiment. During this test phase, becoming a mayor is a role of prestige, not power. This opportunity is meant for those who see themselves as leaders, collaborators, and community builders looking to help their city stand out.

Mayors will:

• Collaborate with players in their city to design and decorate a unique city park
• Gain Access to the official account used to lay out, style, and build the park
• Coordinate with community members, gather input, and guide the overall creative direction

Mayor accounts will be owned by Upland and credentials will be shared with the elected player for the duration of the trial. Mayors may choose to involve trusted advisors or community members in the process and are allowed to share access to the account with them. However, the elected mayor is ultimately responsible for managing the account and delivering on their city’s park vision.

These accounts are strictly temporary. Once the test concludes, all mayor accounts will be deactivated and removed from the game.

This experiment is designed to explore the potential for collaborative player leadership and park development.

Collaborative City Parks

Each participating city will receive a temporary city park during the trial.

Players will need to work together with their mayor to make their city’s park stand out.

Our goal is to explore how collaborative design functions at the city level, gather real feedback, and refine the experience before introducing this feature to neighborhoods in a more permanent and scalable way.

More details on how parks will be developed and how players can contribute will be shared soon.

The Targeted Vote

Players with home addresses set in the selected cities can nominate themselves for mayor by placing a “Vote for Me” sign on their home addressproperty in one of the five cities.

Upland will review all nominees in each of the five cities and select the ten most active and engaged candidates, based on in-game activity and overall participation, as determined byUpland. These candidates will then be presented to their respective cities in a vote, where all residents, players with a home address set in that city, will be eligible to vote for their mayor.

• Players must place the Vote4Me map asset on their home address to nominate themselves.
• Map assets must be placed on your home address by Sunday, June 20th at 9 AM PT to be eligible.
• Only players with home addresses in the respective cities will be able to vote.
• Voting will be open for 48 hours.

Note: Only place the “Vote for Me” sign on your home address if you intend to run for mayor. Doing so will automatically register you as a potential candidate in your city’s election.

Only players with a home address set in one of the five eligible cities will be able to register and purchase a “Vote for Me” map asset.

Registration Start: Thursday June 19th at 9AM PT.
Sale Start: Friday June 20th at 9AM PT
Price: 1,000 UPX
QTY: 3,000
Nomination Deadline: Sunday, June 22 at 9AM PT
Voting Starts: Monday, June 23rd at 9AM PT
Voting Ends: Wednesday, June 25th at 9AM PT

Let the Campaigns Begin

This is more than a vote, it’s a civic experiment rooted in what makes Upland special: player ownership, shared spaces, and community pride.

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of Upland. Whether you’re stepping up to lead, casting your vote, or collaborating on your city’s park, you’re helping build something bigger.

Let’s make it great. Let’s build it together.