Just two days ago, on February 19, Ubisoft Montpellier faced a terrifying ordeal. An unknown individual emailed the state police claiming an explosive device was inside or near the building. Consequently, law enforcement immediately responded and established a strict security perimeter. Authorities evacuated nearly 500 Ubisoft employees alongside several hundred individuals from adjacent buildings. Bomb specialists and firefighters thoroughly searched the premises. However, they found no explosives.
Fortunately, the incident resulted in zero injuries. Employees have already returned to work at the Montpellier studio. Currently, it remains unclear if the hoaxer poses an ongoing threat. Furthermore, investigators are still determining if this was a malicious swatting prank. Regardless, the ordeal deeply rattled the staff and surrounding workers. Police are still actively searching for the person who made the threat.
Unfortunately, this frightening event highlights a severe, recurring problem within the gaming industry. Ubisoft itself navigated a similar hoax back in 2020. During that incident, a fake hostage situation at Ubisoft Montreal created massive panic. Ultimately, the court sentenced the Montreal perpetrator to three years of community service and mandatory mental health care.
Beyond Ubisoft, other major developers face intense hostility. Studios like Nintendo, Capcom, and Insomniac Games have all dealt with severe threats. Consequently, these companies often cancel events to protect their teams. For instance, Nintendo canceled a 2024 live event due to potential danger, which eventually led to an arrest.
Individual performers also face extreme danger when fans feel disappointed. Actor Laura Bailey received direct death threats simply because gamers disliked her character, Abby, in The Last of Us Part 2.
Moreover, streamers and gamers regularly endure swatting. These malicious pranks involve calling heavily armed police to an unsuspecting victim’s location. As a result, many victims develop severe PTSD. In the worst-case scenarios, these fake reports turn fatal. One particularly horrific swatting incident led to the death of an entirely uninvolved man. In that specific case, a judge sentenced the swatter to 20 years in prison.