Microsoft is no exception to the current investment in artificial intelligence by global technology companies. Owing to the high level of investment in AI, Microsoft has sought “reducing efficiency gains” under surge cost pressures. In early July, as part of a massive downsizing of Microsoft, there was also a round of downsizing of the King studio under the flag of moving vision. According to the report of the time, Mobilegamer.biz showed that King ‘ s staff was strongly dissatisfied with his push against AI.
On 2 July, the Chief Executive Officer of King Todd Green announced a reduction of 200 personnel at a mandatory full-time meeting. Some employees disclosed that the exit agreement provided by HR had been challenged by counsel, but most had been forced to sign for fear of confrontation with a giant such as Microsoft. There are still workers who insist on legal means to defend their rights.
According to the Mobilegamer.biz report, many of King’s employees have alleged that lay-offs have been made without any consideration for performance: “it is as if they have been laid down from top to bottom after a high and low pay ranking, and that 10 years old employees and performers have not been spared.” King’s original five-tier performance appraisal system (from `de-orbiting’ to `changing the game’) is not functioning. What is even more absurd is that some of the staff members were re-employed after weeks of lay-offs, while others suspected their colleagues of rushing to mid-level management posts before the lay-offs in order to meet the targets for lay-offs.
Although nearing the completion of the Annual Business Plan (AOP), the Farm Heroes Legend team became a seriously affected area. Teams that are far from meeting the standards are less affected by major products such as the Candy Crusher Legend and the Sugar Soda Legend. “Is this an excuse for failure?”
The HR system “is a pit for the incompetent to defend the incompetent leadership”: the head of the issue, who was examined on several occasions by the Right Way2Play of the Working Life Survey Team, was not disciplined, and the employee who reported the problem was targeted by HR. It’s said, “King’s leadership has created a widespread toxic environment and has even caused some employees to take sick leave due to excessive professional fatigue.”
The mandatory use of AI contributed to the uncertainty faced by the remaining staff of King. Microsoft requires that all staff use the AI tool daily (target 70-80 per cent of their daily assignments last year, and 100 per cent coverage this year), but the actual application rate is generally low except for ChatGPT. King’s leadership is cautious about AI, and ironically, it’s these retrenched employees who are involved in the development and training of AI, who complain: “We helped develop the Ai narrative, the design and the testing tools, which are now replacing our jobs.”
Even though King has had great success in Farm Heroes and Candy Legends, the push-in initiative will still threaten the interests of core developers, artists and creators. Analysts speculate that Microsoft wants to cut costs and justify its support for the AI industry. However, staff are reluctant to take these shortcuts. In addition to the risk of unemployment, creators often scorn the poor quality of the works produced by these AI tools. As AI generation relies on existing codes and art databases, copyright is another potential risk.
The management has stated that King’s staffing is “swollen” and further staff reductions are expected. As Microsoft continues to pursue its AI alternative strategy, the studio that created the Candy Crush Legend is experiencing an unprecedented crisis of trust.
