Epic Games also laid off a terminally ill employee, but is now helping him

Last week we told you about the wave of layoffs that hit Epic Games employees, the latest in a sad series of similar measures that have affected the video game industry in recent years. The impact these decisions can have on the lives of individuals is well represented by the outburst of Jenni Griffin, wife of one of the people who lost their job.

Her husband, Mike Prinke, is battling brain cancer, and with the layoff, he was not only stripped of his livelihood but also his health insurance, which is a huge problem because his illness is considered a pre-existing condition by insurers, a factor that prevents him from taking out a new policy. The family also has a child: his wife is now wondering how they will manage to get by.

Tim Sweeney's intervention

With a message via Twitter/X, Tim Sweeney informs that Epic Games has intervened to solve at least the insurance problem, omitting further details for obvious reasons of confidentiality. Epic's CEO apologizes for not recognizing and managing this terrible situation in advance. According to Jenni Griffin, if the people who made the mass layoff decision had been fully aware of the human impact that resulted, they would not have wanted these consequences.

Epic is in contact with the family and will solve the insurance for them. 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.

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeney) March 29, 2026