Subnautica 2 and inZOI publisher Krafton launched a voluntary resignation program open to all employees starting November 12, as reported by Business Korea. This move comes following record-breaking profits in the third fiscal quarter, and appears to be part of Krafton’s reorganization efforts following the recently announced decision to become an “AI first” game company.
Under the program, domestic Krafton employees who choose to resign will be eligible for special severance packages. According to insiders, this will range from 6 to 36 months’ worth of salary depending on their years of service. A Krafton representative commented that the program is not a layoff plan meant for workforce reduction, but rather a way to “to support members in proactively designing their growth direction and embarking on new challenges both inside and outside the company amid the era of AI transformation.” It’s a mouthful, but it seems like Krafton views this as offering a way out for employees who don’t agree with or can’t keep up with the new shift to AI.
Krafton maintains that its staff will have full autonomy in deciding whether to opt for buyouts or stay, regardless of rank or experience. At the same time, the publisher has announced that it has paused hiring of new staff in areas unrelated to AI. Back when it announced its “AI-first” policy in October, Krafton mentioned that it would invest about $70 million into a GPU cluster that will become foundation for its agentic AI, so it’s more than clear where their priorities lie now.
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