CEO of Epic Games apologizes after shedding worker with terminal mind most cancers | Fortnite

The chief of the corporate that created Fortnite, a well-liked on-line recreation, has issued an apology following backlash after current mass layoffs value an worker with terminal mind most cancers his job – and his life insurance coverage.

On Sunday, Tim Sweeney, the Epic 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 shedding his life insurance coverage.

“Epic is in contact with the family and will solve the insurance for them,” Sweeney stated in an X submit in response to Griffin. “There is high confidentiality around medical information, and it was not a factor in this layoff decision. Sorry to everyone for not recognizing this terribly painful situation and handling it in advance.”

Sweeney’s Epic Games has annual earnings of $4bn. Its Fortnite is the world’s fourth-most-played PC recreation.

In a Facebook post, Griffin wrote: “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.”

Griffin added: “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.”

She continued, “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.”

Accompanying Griffin’s assertion was an image of Prinke’s mind scan, which was captioned: “There are dozens of tumors actively growing, but this one is the most terrifying as it is aggressively taking over space in the front lobe.”

Her submit shortly went viral and prompted Sweeney to respond.

Griffin later confirmed that Epic Games had reached out, writing on Facebook on Sunday: “We are in talks now with the appropriate people! Will update soon, likely by Tuesday. Thank you.”

Epic Games announced the mass layoffs on 24 March. Sweeney justified the cuts by saying: “The downturn in Fortnite engagement that started in 2025 means we’re spending significantly more than we’re making, and we have to make major cuts to keep the company funded. This layoff, together with over [$500m] of identified cost savings in contracting, marketing, and closing some open roles puts us in a more stable place.”

He added that affected workers would obtain a severance bundle, together with at the very least 4 months of base pay, together with different facets tied to tenure on the firm.

In addition, Sweeney stated Epic would lengthen paid healthcare protection. The firm deliberate for laid-off US workers to obtain six months of protection, together with accelerated inventory choices.