Viral claims suggesting Jeffrey Epstein played Fortnite after his death were debunked after Epic Games confirmed the account was a hoax and unrelated to him.
Epstein Playing Fortnite From Israel? Epic Games Sets the Record Straight (File Photo)
Epstein Files Case: Recently released federal case files related to Jeffrey Epstein, along with a Fortnite account named “littlestjeff1,” led to online rumors claiming the convicted sex offender played the video game both before and long after his death. These claims quickly spread across social media, suggesting Epstein might still be alive.
The speculation began in early February 2026, shortly after the U.S. Department of Justice released a new batch of Epstein-related documents. Some social media users pointed to the files and an active Fortnite account as “proof” that Epstein continued gaming even after his reported death by suicide on August 10, 2019. However, these claims were completely false.
As the rumor gained attention online, Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, stepped in to address the misinformation. The company’s communications team posted on X (formerly Twitter) to deny the conspiracy theory. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney also shared a post, reinforcing that the claims were untrue.
The false story spread across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X, and even caught the attention of public figures. Former U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene reposted one such claim that outlined supposed evidence connecting Epstein to the Fortnite account.
Hey Official Fortnite here - this was a ruse by a Fortnite player. A few days ago, an existing Fortnite account owner changed their username from something totally unrelated to littlestjeff1, following the revelation of littlestjeff1 as a name on YouTube. These Fortnite trackers…
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) February 6, 2026
The post reshared by Greene cited three real but misinterpreted pieces of information:
An email from the Epstein case files dated May 7, 2019, referencing a $25.95 purchase of Fortnite’s in-game currency, V-Bucks
A document listing one of Epstein’s YouTube usernames as littlestjeff1
A Fortnite player statistics page showing an active account under the name littlestjeff1, with Israel listed as the location
The Fortnite account was later switched from public to private on February 5 or 6, based on archived webpage captures.
The original post claimed, "BREAKING - There are reports of Epstein's Fortnite account active in Israel, the username 'littlestjeff1' that is in recently released Epstein Files, where the account bought $25.95 V-Bucks on May 7, 2019. The account is infact linked to Jeffrey Epstein himself through receipts ,in the recently unsealed Epstein files."
(@Truthpole/X)
Despite the viral spread, the conclusion was clear: the claim was not true.
The official @FortniteStatus account addressed the rumor directly on February 6, explaining that the situation involved a username change, not Epstein himself.
In its response, Fortnite stated in part, "Hey Official Fortnite here - this was a ruse by a Fortnite player. A few days ago, an existing Fortnite account owner changed their username from something totally unrelated to littlestjeff1, following the revelation of littlestjeff1 as a name on YouTube."
Epic Games also clarified that none of Epstein’s known email addresses found in the public case files are linked to any Fortnite accounts.
Cat McCormack, a spokesperson for Epic Games, told Snopes via email that the Fortnite player who changed their username later made their account private. She confirmed that Epic Games did not change the privacy settings, and the decision was made by the account holder.
The Fortnite statement did not initially explain the $25.95 V-Bucks purchase mentioned in the Epstein files. The email documenting the transaction had most details redacted, including the sender and recipient.
However, other emails within the same set of files clarified the situation. They showed the purchase was connected to a mother and her child, whose names appeared in the partially redacted documents. The mother’s name aligned with the visible lowercase “y” seen beneath the blacked-out sections of the email.
This confirmed that the purchase had no connection to Epstein playing Fortnite.
The claim that Jeffrey Epstein played Fortnite after his death is false. The account name change, misread documents, and social media speculation combined to fuel a conspiracy theory that was later fully debunked by Epic Games and supporting evidence from the case files.
