Fortnite's 16-year-old solo champion was swatted during a stream

(Image credit: Epic Games)

The Fortnite World Cup solo champion, 16-year-old Kyle 'Bugha' Giersdorf, was swatted while streaming on the weekend, bringing armed police to his family's home. Luckily it didn't escalate and nobody was physically harmed.

In the middle of a stream, Giersdorf's dad tells him police are at the door. He leaves but eventually returns. "I got swatted," he says on the stream. You can see him rejoining the stream below.

It ended well because one of the officers was from the area and knew Giersdorf, but that doesn't diminish how disturbing it is that people with guns were sent to a teen's home.

Swatting is being taken increasingly seriously, and an anti-swatting bill has been passed in Kansas that adds a minimum sentence of ten years. Seattle, meanwhile, started an initiative where people who believed they were at risk of being swatted could add their name to a registry.

A 2017 swatting ended in a death and the man responsible was given a 20-year sentence.

"The internet is fucking crazy," said Giersdorf.

Cheers, Kotaku.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.