The chief of the corporate that created Fortnite, a preferred on-line recreation, has issued an apology following backlash after current mass layoffs price an worker with terminal mind most cancers his job – and his life insurance coverage.
On Sunday, Tim Sweeney, the Epic Video games chief government, apologized after Jenni Griffin, the spouse of Mike Prinke, a laid-off worker, revealed on social media that the lack of her husband’s job additionally meant he was dropping his life insurance coverage.
“Epic is in touch with the household and can clear up the insurance coverage for them,” Sweeney stated in an X put up in response to Griffin. “There may be excessive confidentiality round medical info, and it was not an element on this layoff determination. Sorry to everybody for not recognizing this terribly painful state of affairs and dealing with it prematurely.”
Sweeney’s Epic Video games has annual earnings of $4bn. Its Fortnite is the world’s fourth-most-played PC recreation.
In a Fb put up, Griffin wrote: “I by no means imagined I might be writing one thing like this. My husband, Mike, was not too long ago laid off together with over a thousand others at Epic Video games. What makes this totally different for our household is that Mike is at the moment preventing terminal mind most cancers. Due to the layoff, we didn’t simply lose revenue – we misplaced his life insurance coverage.”
Griffin added: “And since his situation is now thought of a pre-existing situation, he can’t get new protection. So now, as I face the fact of dropping my husband … I’m additionally going through the fact of what kind of funeral/burial I can afford … I actually imagine that if the individuals who made this determination understood the complete human influence, they might not have supposed this end result.”
She continued, “I’m sharing this within the hope that it reaches the appropriate individuals. When you work at or know somebody related to Mike’s former employer, please assist this story attain them.”
Accompanying Griffin’s assertion was an image of Prinke’s mind scan, which was captioned: “There are dozens of tumors actively rising, however this one is probably the most terrifying as it’s aggressively taking on house within the entrance lobe.”
Her put up rapidly went viral and prompted Sweeney to reply.
Griffin later confirmed that Epic Video games had reached out, writing on Fb on Sunday: “We’re in talks now with the suitable individuals! Will replace quickly, seemingly by Tuesday. Thanks.”
Epic Video games introduced the mass layoffs on 24 March. Sweeney justified the cuts by saying: “The downturn in Fortnite engagement that began in 2025 means we’re spending considerably greater than we’re making, and we’ve to make main cuts to maintain the corporate funded. This layoff, along with over [$500m] of recognized price financial savings in contracting, advertising and marketing, and shutting some open roles places us in a extra secure place.”
He added that affected workers would obtain a severance bundle, together with no less than 4 months of base pay, together with different elements tied to tenure on the firm.
As well as, Sweeney stated Epic would prolong paid healthcare protection. The corporate deliberate for laid-off US workers to obtain six months of protection, together with accelerated inventory choices.
