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Laid Off Candy Crush Studio Staff Reportedly Replaced by the AI Tools They Helped Build
LONDON, STOCKHOLM, BARCELONA, BERLIN, JUL 14 – King is cutting 10% of its workforce, replacing many skilled roles with AI tools developed by the affected employees amid Microsoft's cost-cutting and AI integration strategy.
- King, the Candy Crush developer acquired by Microsoft in 2023, laid off around 200 employees earlier this month across its Stockholm and London offices.
- The layoffs occurred primarily because AI tools, which King staff helped build and train, are now replacing roles including narrative, UX, level design, and copywriting positions.
- King's leadership aims to remove layers and siloed divisions that slow development, while staff morale dropped to an all-time low and union negotiations are ongoing to conclude by September.
- An insider expressed strong dissatisfaction with AI technology leading to staff reductions, emphasizing that despite the company's strong performance, decisions are driven primarily by efficiency and profit motives.
- These layoffs at King reflect a broader Microsoft trend of 9,000 gaming job cuts amid an $80 billion AI investment, suggesting a workforce shift toward automation despite profitability.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Report: 'Candy Crush' Developer King Had Employees Build AI Tools to Do Their Jobs - Then Laid Them Off
Sources have revealed that many of the 200 staff being cut at mobile gaming giant King, the developer of Candy Crush, will be replaced by the very AI tools they built and trained.
According to some sources, the employees fired at King will be replaced by the AI tools they have helped to create.
Report: Laid-Off Staff At Candy Crush Maker Say They've Been Training Their AI Replacements
Candy Crush maker, King, which Microsoft acquired along with Activision Blizzard back in 2023, was the first hit when mass layoffs were announced across the company earlier this month. Now some impacted staff say morale is at an all time low, as AI they’ve been training for years is potentially used to replace them.Read more...
Have Candy Crush Developers Been Replaced by the AI Tools They Developed!? - theGeek.games
According to a publication, Microsoft’s AI-centric move could have sent King to the floor. According to MobileGamer.biz, 200 King developers, known for Candy Crush, are at risk of being laid off as part of Microsoft’s latest round of mass layoffs. Their jobs will be replaced by AI tools that the developers were previously ordered to create. King is Activision Blizzard’s mobile division, and it was arguably the division Microsoft needed, as the…
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