Ethics in the digital workplace
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
The Swedish video game company King has announced that it plans to cut 200 jobs worldwide.
In Sweden, 96 positions at the company headquarters in Stockholm are affected King 2025-SE . Negotiations with employee representatives are ongoing.
King has invested heavily in AI, developing an AI tool assisting in the level design of games. After a merger with the AI company Peltarion in 2022. The planned lay-offs are targeting the team working with level design, who have previously been developing the AI tool. Officially, the company cites organizational efficiency and reducing duplication. However, sources suggest that AI tools are replacing roles, especially in level design teams.
According to the representative of the trade union Unionen, approximately 80 employees have accepted voluntary buyout packages as part of the restructuring process.
King employs approximately 2,000 employees globally, out of which 700 in Sweden.The company is part of the Activision Blizzard group, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2023. King operates in Sweden, Spain, Germany, Malta, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Eurofound (2025), King, Internal restructuring in World, factsheet number 203680, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://dev.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/203680.