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The layoffs affected level designers, writers and user experience specialists in Europe.
More than 200 King studio employeesresponsible for the successful mobile video game Candy Crushwere fired after participating in the development means of artificial intelligence which currently perform functions that they previously performed manually.
This is reported by a specialized portal MobileGamer.bizwhich accessed the testimonies of former workers affected by the cuts. Layoffs took place in the offices of London, Barcelona and Stockholmand they mainly focus on creative fields such as level design, user experience (UX) and storytelling.
Tools designed to optimize processes
According to the collected evidence, the employees collaborated in the development of artificial intelligence-based systems, the original purpose of which was speed up level creation from Candy Crush, one of the most popular mobile games on the market.
These tools enabled content creation at a faster rate than human designers, which was presented internally as support for optimizing creative processes. However, over time, AI ceased to play a complementary role and became directly replace human commands.
According to MobileGamer.biz, after the completion of the development of these technologies, most of the level design team was fired.
Criticism from within the studio
The affected workers questioned the company’s decision, especially because, as they pointed out, King maintains a solid financial position. For them, the layoffs reflect a strategy aimed primarily at cutting costs.
“The fact that artificial intelligence tools are replacing people is disgusting,” said a former worker quoted by specialized media. Another noted that the studio needs to strengthen its creative teams, not lay off employees.
In addition to the design area, cuts would also be achieved writers and narrative teamswhose roles were taken over by automated systems developed in the studio itself.
until now, King has not made an official statement about dismissals. However, the report notes that the number of affected workers could exceed 200 and that a significant portion of creative roles have already been absorbed by artificial intelligence.
