Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, recently laid off around 1,000 employees as part of wider cost-cutting efforts.
Among those affected was programmer and writer Michael Prinke, who is currently battling terminal brain cancer. His situation drew attention due to a post by his wife, Jenni Griffin, on Facebook. In the post, she said her ailing husband was among those laid off, and that the job loss meant losing his life insurance coverage.
Life insurance was part of Prinke’s employee benefits at Epic. Following his termination, that cover has ended.
Further, due to his condition being classified as a “pre-existing condition”, he is unable to secure a new policy.
Griffin described the emotional and financial strain this has placed on the family. “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,” she said. “How I will keep a roof over our heads. How I will protect our son and the life we built together. What will happen to our dogs?”
It is important to note that the loss relates specifically to life insurance. When announcing the layoffs, Epic had confirmed that health insurance for affected employees would be extended for a period.
Epic CEO’s response
Following this, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney made a public statement on social media platform X to address the matter. He said the company is now working directly with the family to resolve the issue.
“Epic is in contact with the family and will solve the insurance for them,” Sweeney wrote. “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 was responding to a post by ‘Backers | Fortnite News’, who reposted to Griffin’s post with the caption: “ARE YOU HAPPY NOW @TimSweeneyEpic ???????”
His response suggests the company had not been fully aware of the specific circumstances beforehand and acknowledged that the situation should have been handled better.
The layoffs
The layoffs come at a time when Epic is trying to reduce costs amid changing business conditions. The company has pointed to a slowdown in engagement with its flagship title, Fortnite, as one of the reasons behind the decision.
“Despite Fortnite remaining one of the most successful games in the world, we’ve had challenges delivering consistent Fortnite magic with every season; we're only in the early stages of returning to mobile and optimising Fortnite for the world's billions of smartphones,” said Sweeny in a letter to his employees.
Sweeney has also said that the job cuts, alongside reductions in spending on contracting, marketing, and unfilled roles, are expected to save around $500 million and help bring overall expenses down.
Among those affected was programmer and writer Michael Prinke, who is currently battling terminal brain cancer. His situation drew attention due to a post by his wife, Jenni Griffin, on Facebook. In the post, she said her ailing husband was among those laid off, and that the job loss meant losing his life insurance coverage.
Life insurance was part of Prinke’s employee benefits at Epic. Following his termination, that cover has ended.
Further, due to his condition being classified as a “pre-existing condition”, he is unable to secure a new policy.
Griffin described the emotional and financial strain this has placed on the family. “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,” she said. “How I will keep a roof over our heads. How I will protect our son and the life we built together. What will happen to our dogs?”
It is important to note that the loss relates specifically to life insurance. When announcing the layoffs, Epic had confirmed that health insurance for affected employees would be extended for a period.
Epic CEO’s response
Following this, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney made a public statement on social media platform X to address the matter. He said the company is now working directly with the family to resolve the issue.
“Epic is in contact with the family and will solve the insurance for them,” Sweeney wrote. “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 was responding to a post by ‘Backers | Fortnite News’, who reposted to Griffin’s post with the caption: “ARE YOU HAPPY NOW @TimSweeneyEpic ???????”
His response suggests the company had not been fully aware of the specific circumstances beforehand and acknowledged that the situation should have been handled better.
The layoffs
The layoffs come at a time when Epic is trying to reduce costs amid changing business conditions. The company has pointed to a slowdown in engagement with its flagship title, Fortnite, as one of the reasons behind the decision.
“Despite Fortnite remaining one of the most successful games in the world, we’ve had challenges delivering consistent Fortnite magic with every season; we're only in the early stages of returning to mobile and optimising Fortnite for the world's billions of smartphones,” said Sweeny in a letter to his employees.
Sweeney has also said that the job cuts, alongside reductions in spending on contracting, marketing, and unfilled roles, are expected to save around $500 million and help bring overall expenses down.
