Bungie just won in court today against a Destiny 2 player who had harassed several employees at the studio. The Bungie lawsuit resulted in the Court finding the harasser liable for almost $500,000 in damages relating to investigation and protection costs, among other things.

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Paralegal Kathryn Tewson, who worked on the case, posted a Twitter thread detailing the victory against the harasser. Of note, the case concluded with the court recognizing a new tort relating to the harassment received by Bungee employees.

But the really exciting news comes in at the end. In addition to finding that Washington employers can recover for damages for harassment of their employees under standard torts like nuisance and invasion of privacy, the Court also held that it would recognize A NEW TORT. pic.twitter.com/XB4bTJFyFV

— Kathryn Tewson (@KathrynTewson) July 12, 2023

The recognition of a new tort will, in theory, pave the way for similar cases like this in the future to be more successful, with the goal of holding like-minded harassers accountable for their actions.

The court win against the harasser was met with positive responses, many of which came from game devs across the industry, such as Halo’s senior community manager at 343 Industries, John Junyszek.

Great thread. Thank you for sharing this and increasing its visibility. And, even more, I appreciate you all sticking up for developers who just want to focus on making great games 💙

— John Junyszek (@Unyshek) July 13, 2023

With proof that game studios are now able to hold trolls accountable for their actions, some may now think twice before harassing and sending threats over video games.