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 Redmond company had no presence in the mobile gaming industry. The acquisition of one of the world’s biggest and best-known mobile game developers changed that overnight.

Microsoft’s cutbacks are reportedly unaffected by anything other than the company’s desire to remain competitive in the AI industry. MobileGamer.biz shows that the endgame of companies and executives pushing AI and generative AI tools is being put into practice: Every job can be replaced by an AI tool.

“Most of level design has been wiped out, which is crazy since they spent months building tools to craft levels more quickly. Now, those AI tools are replacing the teams. Similarly, the copywriting team is eliminating people because we now have AI tools that those individuals created. It’s disgusting that AI tools are replacing people, but it’s all about efficiency and profits, even though the company is doing great overall. If we’re introducing more feedback loops, then it’s absurd to remove the developers themselves. We need more hands and less leadership,” say the publication’s sources.

Some employees are being targeted and dismissed without cause. According to one source, people who have spoken out against management decisions are losing their jobs. Another source claims that King’s HR department has been useless for years, providing an extreme example of a department whose job is to protect the company rather than the employees. Companies that use generative AI tools in their game development process (including King) have argued that AI tools take care of mundane tasks, allowing human developers to focus on creative aspects of game development. Brendan Sinclair of Logic pointed out that, as part of his presentation at last year’s GDC, King AI Labs director Sahar Asadi made exactly that point.

However, designers who had more time to be creative are being completely replaced by these tools. An internal memo sent to King developers states that these cuts are intended to allow the business to grow again. One element of this plan is to open up many more AI tools. The memo also explains that the changes involve fewer layers, fewer overlapping responsibilities, fewer hours spent on alignment, fewer people involved in meetings, and fewer stakeholders for each project.

According to one source, King may cut more than 200 developers, affecting the Candy Crush team, half of the Farm Heroes Saga team, and developers working at studios in London, Barcelona, Stockholm, and Berlin.

Source: WCCFTech, Mobilegamer.biz