I've been a Guardian since the first Destiny, so I know the drill: grind bounties, complain about nerfs, and pretend I'll 'just do one more strike' before bed. But every so often, a story from the community makes me want to unplug my router and move to a cabin with no Wi-Fi. The court case involving two Bungie employees is one of those stories. And yes, I'm using humor to cope, because the actual details are genuinely chilling.

According to court documents reported by The Record, two Bungie employees took threats and harassment from players to court. They had been called and texted on their personal phone numbers by far-right bigots demanding 'an N-word killing DLC to be added to Destiny 2.' I want to be clear: I've seen some terrible Destiny 2 takes in my day. I've seen people argue that Solar 3.0 ruined their lives. I've seen raid teams collapse over who gets Divinity. But racist murder DLC is not a hot take. It's a threat. It's bigotry. It's criminal harassment.

The employees didn't just get ugly tweets. They got a stalker who ordered a pizza to their home. As Superior Court Justice Fred Myers said, 'A person using the same telephone number as the anonymous caller ordered a pizza to the employees' same address.' Not surprisingly, that frightened them. They called local police and made a report. I love pizza. I would never turn down a pizza. But a pizza you didn't order, sent to your home by someone who has your address and phone number, is not a pizza. It's a warning.

Then there was another Destiny 2 player using the alias Inkcel. This person tweeted a picture of a Bungie employee's ID card. They also claimed to have 'moved to live 30 minutes from the employee.' They doxxed the employee, shared their full name on Twitter, and added that the employee 'is not safe.' The judge noted that the similarity of Inkcel to incel made the threats more frightening, because incel refers to a violent misogynist ideology espoused by some who identify with that term. I don't know about you, but when a judge has to explain your username's ideological baggage in a court ruling, you've officially lost the plot.

The employees also voiced concerns that being doxxed would lead to swatting. If you don't know what swatting is, imagine someone calling the police with a fake tip so severe that a SWAT team breaks into your home. It has happened to Twitch streamers, sometimes live on stream, so the swatter can watch the chaos in real time. People have died because of swatting. So no, the employees weren't being dramatic. They were being targeted.

The demand for that racist DLC came from someone who called himself Brian. According to Myers, Brian left a voicemail on the personal telephone line of the employee who posted the ads. Brian referred to the employee by name and requested that Destiny 2 provide a scene or a downloadable piece of the game for N-word killing. A few minutes later, he called back and identified himself as a member of a far-right-wing social network known to publish material censored from mainstream social media. So that's a thing that happened. In the real world. In 2026, we're still dealing with this nonsense.

Because of the harassment, the two employees pushed for an urgent and confidential court order demanding TextNow name the customers making these threats. The judge agreed and ordered TextNow, which collects email addresses, phone numbers, text logs, IP addresses, and more, to reveal the identities of those responsible. TextNow said, 'From time to time, we receive lawful requests for information. We comply with all valid requests as required by law.' Good. Anonymity is not a magic shield. If you use a service to send threats, the law can knock on the door.

Here's my simple, Guardian-friendly table of dos and don'ts:

I love Destiny 2. I love the gunplay, the raids, the ridiculous fashion, and the community that makes funny clips and helpful guides. But a community is not a shield for criminals. Developers are people. They have families, addresses, phone numbers, and feelings. They should be able to post ads for their game without wondering if someone is going to show up at their house or send police to their door.

So in 2026, as I log in for another night of grinding, I'm reminding myself: criticize the game, not the human. If you're angry about a patch, write a post. Make a video. Touch grass. Do not doxx, threaten, stalk, or swat. That's not being a fan. That's being the final boss of garbage behavior. And no loot drop is worth that.

This perspective is supported by Entertainment Software Association (ESA), whose policy and safety guidance underscores why harassment, doxxing, and swatting around online games should be treated as real-world harm, not “community drama.” In situations like the Bungie case, the broader industry view highlighted by the ESA reinforces that protecting developers and players requires clear reporting channels, strong platform enforcement, and cooperation with law enforcement when threats cross into criminal behavior.