- Epic Games laid off a terminally ill programmer fighting brain cancer who had been at the company for over six years.
- The developer’s wife criticised Epic for leaving a loyal employee without life insurance and any income at such a crucial juncture.
- Gamers online have criticised the company’s decision, calling it cruel and asking Tim Sweeney to make amendments.
Epic Games shocked the gaming world a few days ago by laying off 1,000 employees all of a sudden. The company justified this decision by claiming that a decline in Fortnite engagement has reduced its revenue, prompting criticism from many in the industry.
Among those impacted were senior developers who have worked on Fortnite since its inception, as well as the concept artist who created Jonesy, the game’s mascot. Now, Epic Games is facing backlash once again after fans learned that a terminally ill developer was also fired by the company.
Why it matters: Fortnite is arguably the biggest money-making machine in the industry. Hence, Epic’s continued layoffs in such circumstances reflect poorly on the company.
In a post on Facebook, Jenni Griffin, the wife of Epic Games programmer Michael Prinke, revealed that the developer has lost his life insurance while battling brain cancer due to Epic laying him off.
In addition to fighting his terminal illness without any income, Prinke’s family has lost the right to get a new life insurance policy, as it was a pre-existing disease. The developer’s wife criticised Epic Games for firing her husband despite knowing his condition.
She stated that the higher-ups at the gaming company don’t understand the full human impact of layoffs and treat developers like Michael Prinke as mere numbers on the board. Griffin asked people to share the post in hopes of reaching out to Epic Games to resolve this anxious situation.
Fans online have not taken a kind stance on this, calling Epic Games cruel for making such a decision and asking if the company was happy to save costs by firing a terminally ill employee with no life insurance. Players criticised Epic Games and Tim Sweeney for laying off long-term employees like Michael Prinke, who literally built their fortune.
Do you think Epic Games has gone too far with these layoffs, or were they necessary to save Fortnite? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum for discussion.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devoutly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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