Jayden Griffin is facing up to five years in prison for threats he sent to the Fortnite maker
Jayden Griffin, a 19-year-old from South Dakota, has pleaded guilty to sending death threats to Epic Games, the developers of the battle royale crossover hub Fortnite.
According to court documents verified by GameSpot, Griffin will face up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a period of supervised release for up to three years after his sentence. Griffin was charged in December 2024 for messages he sent to Epic Games employees between October and November of that year. Griffin stated in a court document filed on September 16, 2025, that he “intended for the messages to be viewed as a threat at the time [he] sent the messages.”
Griffin’s hearing concluded on September 29, with him entering a guilty plea after he’d previously pleaded not guilty in January.
“The Court finds that the defendant is competent and capable of entering an informed plea, is aware of the nature of the charges and consequences of the plea, that the plea is knowing and voluntary and is supported by an independent basis in fact containing each of the essential elements of the offense and orders that the defendant shall be adjudged guilty of the offense,” the document reads.
Online death threats are sadly pretty commonplace in the gaming space, though it’s not often they go to court and someone is sentenced. A lot of people view this toxicity as just an expected part of being online, so it’s often allowed to permeate without any consequences. You can check most social media sites and find anonymous profiles throwing them out left and right. Pretty much everyone is fair game in the eyes of people who make these threats, as developers, actors, and even critics and journalists who write about video games have had to endure torrents of threats.
We’ve reached out to Epic Games for comment on the situation and will update the story if we hear back.
