Laid off King staff are reportedly being replaced by AI tools they helped build
AI tools are “basically replacing” laid off design teams, it’s claimed
Staff laid off by Microsoft-owned Candy Rush developer King are being replaced by AI tools they helped create, former staff have claimed.
Earlier this month, King cut around 200 staff as part of Microsoft’s sweeping layoffs, which saw games cancelled and studios slashed across its game business.
The cuts at King, which has offices in cities such as London, Barcelona, and Stockholm, mainly affected middle management and UX and narrative copywriting, it’s claimed.
However, according to a new report by MobileGamer.biz, many level and UX designers, plus “practically half” of the London-based Farm Heroes Saga team, have also been told they’re at risk.
Notably, it’s claimed that these staff spent the last few years building and training AI tools to do their jobs.
“Most of level design has been wiped, which is crazy since they’ve spent months building tools to craft levels quicker,” one anonymous staffer told Mobile Gamer. “Now those AI tools are basically replacing the teams. Similarly the copywriting team is completely removing people since we now have AI tools that those individuals have been creating.
“The fact AI tools are replacing people is absolutely disgusting but it’s all about efficiency and profits even though the company is doing great overall,” they continued. “If we’re introducing more feedback loops then it’s crazy to remove the developers themselves, we need more hands and less leadership.”
The same source suggested that the total number of staff cuts may be more than 200.
Speaking at the Game Developer Conference in May 2023, King’s chief technology officer Steve Collins told Eurogamer the ambition for King was to pivot to an “AI-first company”, after it acquired Swedish AI company Peltarion.
According to media reports, Microsoft’s latest layoffs were influenced, at least in part, by the significant cost of its investment into AI.
Microsoft announced the sweeping layoffs earlier this month, which could amount to over 9000 staff losing their jobs. The publisher’s troubled reboot of Perfect Dark has been cancelled, and The Initiative has been closed.
Rare’s troubled Everwild has also been cancelled, and several senior developers have left the historic studio.
