A Bungie executive was 'swatted' at 4 a.m. on Thursday night when police surrounded his home in Sammamish, Washington.
Komo News reports that police received a 911 call alleging that there was a developing hostage situation at the executive's house, and mobalised a SWAT team and helicopter to respond to the situation.
The caller claimed to be holding a family at gunpoint, and had placed explosives in the yard. He was demanding $20,000 for the family's release but upon arrival at the scene, police quickly determined that the call had been a haox.
Police suggested the caller may be a disgruntled Bungie employee or contractor "who didn't have a great experience with him." If caught, the caller could face up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
"This is not a game," Sammamish Police Department Chief Nathan Elledge commented. "This is a very serious response that could've had serious consequences and we're just fortunate that didn't happen this time. It puts officers' lives at risk when you respond to something this serious. It puts the citizens' lives at risk."
The executive is just the latest figure in the game industry to be threatened this year. Last month, a developer threatened to kill Valve's Gabe Newell over the manner in which the game's launch was being handled on Steam. Earlier this year Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley's plane was diverted after a group responsible for several high profile hacking attacks claimed there was a bomb on board.
Zoe Quinn, Anita Sarkeesian, and Brianna Wu have all received death threats as a result of the on-going GamerGate saga.