According to sources, employees who were laid off at King are expected to be succeeded by AI tools they had a hand in developing

Insiders from the mobile game developer, King, have indicated that after recent layoffs initiated by Microsoft's job cuts, AI technology trained by the affected employees will be taking over their roles.

According to Mobilegamer.biz, a person from within the company revealed that numerous level designers were dismissed after developing tools designed for swifter level creation.

The employee noted, "Those AI tools are essentially replacing the teams." Similarly, it was mentioned that the copywriting department is eliminating staff since AI tools now handle those tasks, tools which the employees themselves had contributed to creating.

Estimates suggest approximately 200 employees have departed from King due to Microsoft's extensive layoffs. However, the same source hinted that the real number might be greater.

Reports indicate that the layoffs at King focused largely on middle management along with user experience and narrative copywriting sectors. Notably, roughly half of London's Farm Heroes Saga team is set to leave, amounting to about 50 individuals.

Additionally, some senior employees are reportedly on gardening leave till September, pending the release of a new organizational structure.

GamesIndustry.biz has sought comments from King regarding these reports.

King has been incorporating AI into its operations for a significant period, having acquired the AI company Peltarion in 2022. In June of last year, Sahar Asadi, head of King's AI Labs, discussed with GamesIndustry.biz how AI was being used to test Candy Crush Saga levels.

She described how a playtesting bot allows designers to preview the player experience prior to level releases, enabling them to polish the content based on insights provided by the tool.

Though AI tools were offering recommendations for levels, Asadi emphasized the necessity of designers, describing the tech as an aid rather than a replacement.