Epic Games' decision to cut 1,000 jobs last week sparked widespread backlash - but the fallout has taken a devastating personal turn after it emerged one of those laid off has terminal brain cancer.

Mike Prinke, a programmer who worked on the company’s flagship game Fortnite for seven years, lost not just his income but also his life insurance when he was let go, his wife Jenni Griffin revealed. 

'I never imagined I would be writing something like this,' Griffin wrote on Facebook. '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.'

The gaming giant said last Tuesday it was cutting around 1,000 jobs, alongside more than $500million in spending across contractors, marketing and open roles.

CEO Tim Sweeney said at the time that the cuts were unavoidable because the company is still spending more than it earns, despite the huge success of Fortnite and its powerful Unreal Engine software. 

Fortnite still generated about $6billion in revenue in 2025, but that marked a slowdown from the previous year as player activity dipped. Lower console sales and costly legal battles with Apple and Google added to the company's challenges.

But for Griffin, the consequences have been devastating. She explained that she not only faces the reality of potentially losing her husband, but also how she'll afford a funeral, keep their family home and care for their young son and dogs.

After her post went viral, Tim Sweeney, who has remained active online, responded, saying that Epic was 'in contact with the family' and would handle the insurance issue.

'There is high confidentiality around medical information and it was not a factor in this layoff decision,' Sweeney wrote. 'Sorry to everyone for not recognizing this terribly painful situation and handling it in advance.'

His response, however, did little to calm the backlash. One commenter wrote: 'Too little, too late, Tim. You only 'solved' the insurance after the internet dragged you for laying off a dying man. 

'How many other families got quietly screwed before the PR panic? Fire the execs who approved this mess instead of playing hero now.'

Another user wrote: 'You reputation isn't bouncing back from this one man, it was already in the s****er and you're in the sewer now. Enjoy it man, you really have earned it.'

It hasn't been the first time Sweeney received backlash since the layoffs were announced. 

Last week, the gaming CEO suggested the newly unemployed staff would be snapped up elsewhere thanks to their 'once-in-a-lifetime' resumes.

'An important thing to understand is that Epic never lowered our hiring standards as we grew, and the layoff wasn't a performance-based 'rightsizing' as companies call it nowadays,' Sweeney wrote.

'It's a sound bet that anyone with Epic Games on their resume is in the top few percent of their discipline.'

For Mike, however, the situation is far more urgent and personal. Griffin told gaming site Kotaku that Prinke had frequent medical appointments and had previously taken paid leave; his condition was not a secret at the company.

'Everyone he worked with knows,' she told the outlet.

Her Facebook post quickly spread across Reddit and X, with large Fortnite news accounts tagging Sweeney. 'Are you happy now?' read one post. 

Griffin said the family is currently working to obtain necessary documents and identify any contingency clauses in the paperwork while speaking with life insurance providers. 

She has also considered launching a GoFundMe campaign, though she is unsure whether to wait until they have more information - or if by then it will be too late.

'We should be spending every possible moment treasuring the time we have left as tumors are actively bleeding into Mike's brain,' she wrote to the outlet.

'But instead, we have to rush to try and figure out life insurance as fast as possible. At any time, Mike could have his third 'major event' and become unresponsive. At that point, he will not have the ability to track all this stuff down.'

In an update on her Facebook post, Griffin said the family was talking with the 'appropriate people' at the company about life insurance conversion, which lets laid-off employees switch their group policy to an individual policy without a medical exam- if they apply within 30 days.

However, she noted it would likely be very expensive, potentially costing thousands of dollars per month.

Griffin also addressed a commenter who suggested checking if the policy offers portability, which would let a former employee stay on the company's insurance. She said the policy has a rule excluding people with disabilities, but they're still looking to see if any special clauses might help.

In his original post announcing the layoffs, Sweeney said that US-based employees would receive six months of severance pay, accelerated stock options vesting and extended Epic-paid healthcare coverage.

But for Griffin, the promised benefits could not make up for the personal toll. 'I truly believe that if the people who made this decision understood the full human impact, they would not have intended this outcome,' she wrote.

'Mike is not just a number. He is a father. A husband. A person deeply loved.'

Neither Griffin nor Epic Games immediately responded to the Daily Mail's request for comment.