Company Behind Candy Crush Replaces 200 Staff with AI, Sparking Ethical Debate

In a troubling turn of events for the gaming industry, King, the developer behind the wildly popular Candy Crush series, is reportedly replacing a significant number of recently laid-off staff with artificial intelligence tools—many of which were built and trained by the very employees now facing redundancy.
Company Behind Candy Crush Replaces 200 Staff with AI, Sparking Ethical Debate
Written by Juan Vasquez

In a troubling turn of events for the gaming industry, King, the developer behind the wildly popular Candy Crush series, is reportedly replacing a significant number of recently laid-off staff with artificial intelligence tools—many of which were built and trained by the very employees now facing redundancy.

According to a detailed report by MobileGamer.biz, the layoffs, which affect around 200 employees or roughly 10% of King’s workforce, are part of broader reductions at Microsoft, King’s parent company following its acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

Sources close to the company, as cited by MobileGamer.biz, reveal a particularly bitter irony: many of the affected workers, including level designers, UX specialists, narrative writers, and user researchers, spent months developing AI tools intended to streamline game development processes. Now, these same tools are poised to take over their roles, leaving a workforce reeling from both job loss and the sense of betrayal that comes with being replaced by their own creations.

A Devastating Blow to Morale

The impact on employee morale at King has been described as catastrophic. Insiders speaking to MobileGamer.biz paint a picture of a company where trust in leadership is at an all-time low, with one source stating that morale is “in the gutter.” The layoffs have hit teams like Farm Heroes Saga especially hard, with nearly half of its staff reportedly set to depart.

Beyond the numbers, the human toll is evident in the frustration expressed by affected employees. The focus on efficiency and profitability through AI adoption, while perhaps financially sound in the short term, raises profound ethical questions about the role of human talent in an industry historically driven by creativity and innovation. As one source told MobileGamer.biz, the near-total elimination of level design roles is particularly “crazy,” given the time invested in building AI tools for that very purpose.

Microsoft’s Broader AI Push

These layoffs are not an isolated incident but part of a larger trend within Microsoft to integrate AI across its gaming divisions. The company has been vocal about its ambitions to leverage artificial intelligence to cut costs and accelerate development timelines. However, as MobileGamer.biz notes, the decision to prioritize AI over human workers at King has drawn sharp criticism from industry observers and unions alike, who argue that such moves undermine the value of skilled labor in game development.

Moreover, the handling of the layoffs by King’s HR department has been described as chaotic, with sources calling it a “shitshow” in interviews with MobileGamer.biz. Employees have expressed frustration over poor communication and a lack of transparency, further exacerbating tensions within the company at a time when stability is desperately needed.

The Future of Game Development

Looking ahead, the situation at King could serve as a cautionary tale for the broader gaming industry. The replacement of human workers with AI tools they helped develop raises critical questions about job security and the ethical implications of automation in creative fields. While AI may promise efficiency, as MobileGamer.biz highlights through insider accounts, it risks alienating the very talent that has driven gaming’s cultural and commercial success.

As Microsoft continues to push its AI agenda, the balance between technological advancement and human contribution remains precarious. For now, the 200 laid-off King employees face an uncertain future, while the industry watches closely to see if this marks the beginning of a new, more automated era in game development—or a misstep that prompts a reevaluation of priorities.

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