Dozens of employees at King, the Microsoft-owned gaming company known for the Candy Crush series, are reportedly being laid off as the studio replaces human roles with AI systems that were developed in-house.
A report by MobileGamer.biz reveals that around 50 employees, from the team working on Farm Heroes Saga, are being affected by the downsizing.
Departments such as level design, narrative copywriting, user research and UX are among the hardest hit. Many of those impacted were based in King’s offices across London, Stockholm, Berlin and Barcelona.
According to insiders, the company had spent months building AI tools to speed up content creation, particularly level design and writing. Ironically, these tools are now replacing the teams who contributed to their development. One employee stated that nearly the entire level design team had been let go, despite having created the very systems that now make their roles redundant.
In some cases, team leads and managers have reportedly been placed on "gardening leave," meaning they will continue to be paid and receive benefits while being asked to stay away from work, as a measure to protect confidential information or delay a move to competing companies.
The restructuring may extend beyond the initially reported numbers. Centralized teams in research and QA are also being affected, with the total layoffs potentially crossing 200 employees. Employees cited in the report said leadership appears focused on reducing internal layers and speeding up production by relying more heavily on automation and fewer decision-makers.
Earlier King had issued a statement about using AI to handle repetitive tasks with the intention of freeing up employees for more creative work. The layoffs now suggest a shift toward automation.
King, once part of Activision Blizzard, came under Microsoft's ownership in 2023 as part of a $69 billion acquisition.
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Noida: A 15-month-old girl was allegedly subjected to severe physical abuse by a maid at a day care centre in Noida, with CCTV footage revealing disturbing scenes of the assault. The incident, which took place on August 4, came to light after the toddler’s parents reviewed surveillance footage from the facility.
According to police, the child’s mother brought her home from the day care and noticed she was crying inconsolably. While changing her clothes, the mother spotted circular marks on both thighs. A medical examination confirmed the marks were consistent with human bite wounds.
Upon reviewing the CCTV footage, the parents were shocked to see the maid shutting the door of the room, dropping the crying child on the floor, slapping her, biting her, and striking her with a plastic bat.
The parents have also accused the head of the day care of negligence and misconduct, alleging that no attempt was made to protect or comfort the child. Instead, they claim, both the maid and the day care head responded with abusive language and threats when confronted.
Police registered a case at Sector-142 police station under relevant sections of the law. The accused maid, reportedly a 16-year-old helper, was arrested on Sunday.
“A case has been registered based on the complaint, and the accused has been taken into custody. Legal proceedings are underway,” a police official said.
पारस टेरा सोसाइटी नोएडा में नियमों को ताक पर रख कर संचालित ब्लीपी डे केअर की नाबालिक (16वर्ष)सहायिका द्वारा 15 माह की बच्ची (वेदांसी) के साथ मार पीट व मुह से काट कर घायल कर दिया गया
— kuldeep (@Kuldeep44816379) August 10, 2025
कृपया संज्ञान लें🙏 pic.twitter.com/MsQRMIM6uw