Now that Krafton Inc. is becoming an "AI-first" company, the South Korean PUBG publisher is offering employees a "growth direction" opportunity through voluntary resignations, effectively reducing human jobs.
According to a Business Korea report (spotted by Eurogamer), Krafton internally began a voluntary resignation program on November 12. Based on tenure, employees who signed up were offered the following packages: six months' salary for those with one year or less; 12 months' salary for two years or less; 18 months' salary for five years or less; 24 months' salary for eight years or less; 30 months' salary for 11 years or less; 36 months' salary for more than 11 years. The company said this resignation "support" assistance isn't a means to slash its workforce, but to offer its employees the opportunity of "embarking on new challenges" as AI tech booms.
"The core purpose is 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," a company representative said." The company plans to support members in autonomously deciding whether to continue the direction of change internally or expand externally."
Krafton Inc. CFO, Bae Dong-geun, explained during an earnings announcement on November 4 that the company has stopped hiring. He said that "individual productivity must increase" across the company amid its investment in artificial intelligence.
"Excluding organizations developing original intellectual property (IP) and AI-related personnel, we have frozen hiring company-wide," Dong-geun said. "Rather than reducing costs through AI First, individual productivity must increase at the company-wide level, so we are stopping hiring for now, and we will organize and disclose later whether there will be changes to the five-year franchise IP strategy announced earlier this year."
In October 2025, Krafton Inc. announced plans to become an "AI-first" company, investing $70 million into AI to "accelerate mid- to long-term corporate value growth." According to the November 4 earnings announcement, Krafton Inc. posted its highest quarterly performance in the third quarter of this year. The company reportedly brought in 2.407 trillion won ($1.6 billion) in recorded revenue and 1.052 trillion won ($718 million) in operating profit. It said this cumulative operating profit marked "the first time since the company’s founding" that it exceeded 1 trillion won ($682 million) for the third quarter.
Not every Krafton Inc. subsidiary is buying into the "AI-first" investment. Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment claimed AI is a tool it won't use in the upcoming action-adventure survival sim.
"It is very unlikely that that will change," community manager Donya Abramo said. "We already have a lot of our teams, pipelines, and systems set up. But, ultimately, our relationship with Krafton is the same as it has always been. They provide us access to valuable tools and resources, and we choose which are the right fit for our projects."
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According to a Business Korea report (spotted by Eurogamer), Krafton internally began a voluntary resignation program on November 12. Based on tenure, employees who signed up were offered the following packages: six months' salary for those with one year or less; 12 months' salary for two years or less; 18 months' salary for five years or less; 24 months' salary for eight years or less; 30 months' salary for 11 years or less; 36 months' salary for more than 11 years. The company said this resignation "support" assistance isn't a means to slash its workforce, but to offer its employees the opportunity of "embarking on new challenges" as AI tech booms.
"The core purpose is 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," a company representative said." The company plans to support members in autonomously deciding whether to continue the direction of change internally or expand externally."
Krafton Inc. CFO, Bae Dong-geun, explained during an earnings announcement on November 4 that the company has stopped hiring. He said that "individual productivity must increase" across the company amid its investment in artificial intelligence.
"Excluding organizations developing original intellectual property (IP) and AI-related personnel, we have frozen hiring company-wide," Dong-geun said. "Rather than reducing costs through AI First, individual productivity must increase at the company-wide level, so we are stopping hiring for now, and we will organize and disclose later whether there will be changes to the five-year franchise IP strategy announced earlier this year."
In October 2025, Krafton Inc. announced plans to become an "AI-first" company, investing $70 million into AI to "accelerate mid- to long-term corporate value growth." According to the November 4 earnings announcement, Krafton Inc. posted its highest quarterly performance in the third quarter of this year. The company reportedly brought in 2.407 trillion won ($1.6 billion) in recorded revenue and 1.052 trillion won ($718 million) in operating profit. It said this cumulative operating profit marked "the first time since the company’s founding" that it exceeded 1 trillion won ($682 million) for the third quarter.
Not every Krafton Inc. subsidiary is buying into the "AI-first" investment. Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment claimed AI is a tool it won't use in the upcoming action-adventure survival sim.
"It is very unlikely that that will change," community manager Donya Abramo said. "We already have a lot of our teams, pipelines, and systems set up. But, ultimately, our relationship with Krafton is the same as it has always been. They provide us access to valuable tools and resources, and we choose which are the right fit for our projects."
Source