Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, apologized following public outcry over layoffs that impacted Mike Prinke, a laid-off employee battling terminal brain cancer, whose family lost his life insurance as a result. Epic Games laid off over a thousand employees on March 24. In response, Sweeney said Epic is in contact with the family and will solve the insurance for them, adding that medical information was not a factor in the layoff decision.
Jenni Griffin, Prinke's wife, confirmed that Epic Games reached out and they are in talks. The layoffs were driven by financial pressures, as Sweeney explained a downturn in Fortnite engagement starting in 2025 means the company is spending more than it makes. Despite Epic Games having annual profits of $4 billion and Fortnite being the world's fourth most-played PC game, the company cited the downturn.
I never imagined I would be writing something like this. My husband, Mike, was recently laid off along with over a thousand others at Epic Games. What makes this different for our family is that Mike is currently fighting terminal brain cancer. Because of the layoff, we didn’t just lose income – we lost his life insurance.
Affected employees will receive a severance package including at least four months of base pay and other aspects tied to tenure, and Epic Games will extend paid healthcare coverage for laid-off US employees.
And because his condition is now considered a pre-existing condition, he can’t get new coverage. So now, as I face the reality of losing my husband … I’m also facing the reality of what type of funeral/burial I can afford … I truly believe that if the people who made this decision understood the full human impact, they would not have intended this outcome.
I’m sharing this in the hope that it reaches the right people. If you work at or know someone connected to Mike’s former employer, please help this story reach them.
We are in talks now with the appropriate people! Will update soon, likely by Tuesday. Thank you.