Epic Games "will solve the insurance" for a terminally ill employee impacted by mass layoffs, Tim Sweeney says: "Sorry to everyone for not recognizing this terribly painful situation"

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"Epic is in contact with the family," Sweeney writes

Fortnite characters Hope and Kendo in the cinematic trailer for Chapter 6: Season 1.
(Image credit: Epic Games)

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has apologized for "not recognizing this terribly painful situation" after a terminally ill employee lost his job in the recent mass layoffs – losing his life insurance in the process – promising that the company "will solve the insurance" for him and his family.

Last week, it was revealed that over 1,000 employees were being laid off from Epic Games, as Sweeney said "I'm sorry we're here again." One of those affected is Michael Prinke, who, according to his LinkedIn, first joined the company in 2019 as a technical writer, before going on to become a programmer writer.

As highlighted on social media, Prinke's wife, Jenni Griffin, took to Facebook shortly after the news, sharing that "what makes this different for our family is that Mike is currently fighting terminal brain cancer." She explained at the time: "Because of the layoff, we didn't just lose income – we lost his life insurance. 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. 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," she continued. "I truly believe that if the people who made this decision understood the full human impact, they would not have intended this outcome."

"Epic is in contact with the family and will solve the insurance for them," he writes on Twitter. "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."

Griffin's original post has now been updated, too, stating: "WE ARE IN TALKS NOW WITH THE APPROPRIATE PEOPLE! WILL UPDATE SOON, LIKELY BY TUESDAY."

Catherine Lewis
Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

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