A 19-year-old from South Dakota admitted to sending death threats to Epic Games staff over Fortnite, facing a potential five-year prison sentence and a hefty fine.

Jayden Griffin, a teenager from South Dakota, has reversed his previous plea and admitted guilt in a federal case involving death threats he sent to Epic Games employees over the popular battle royale Fortnite (via Gamespot). Griffin was indicted by a grand jury back in December 2024 for a series of threatening online messages sent between October 24 and November 9 of that year.

The charge, officially described as “threatening interstate commerce,” stems from the fact that Epic Games is based in North Carolina. The crime carries a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Even if Griffin avoids incarceration or receives a reduced sentence, he could still be placed under supervised release for up to three years — consequences that highlight how online threats can have life-altering results.

According to a court filing dated September 16, 2025, Griffin openly admitted his intent: “I sent messages to Epic Games in which I threatened to kill the company’s employees. I wanted those messages to be understood as threats at the time I sent them.”

At a hearing on September 29 in the U.S. District Court for South Dakota, Griffin entered a guilty plea — a significant reversal after initially pleading not guilty in January 2025. The court concluded: “The defendant is competent of entering an informed plea. He understands the nature of the charges and the consequences of his plea. The plea is voluntary, supported by evidence establishing each element of the offense, and the defendant is therefore adjudicated guilty.”

Sentencing will be determined at a future hearing, and Epic Games declined to make a public statement regarding the case.

This case underscores a growing trend in the gaming industry: studios are no longer tolerating harassment or threats against their teams. Bungie, for example, has aggressively pursued offenders in court and secured several significant legal victories, setting a precedent for how seriously such actions are now being treated.

Source: PC Gamer