MindArk: Gaming companies replace staff with AI

Someone linked this in my soc.

Spelföretag ersätter personal med AI (kollega.se)

Deepl translation below:

Gaming companies replace staff with AI


A man plays PC games with a large computer on the table. Photographed from behind, sitting in a chair.

Among Sweden's nearly 800 computer game companies, Gothenburg-based Mindark has stood out as a studio that has gone its own way. Just before summer this year, this was further confirmed when the company announced that it would replace 25 employees, equivalent to 40 percent of its workforce, with artificial intelligence.

- 'I was shocked,' says Andreas W Yngvesson, who teaches game design at The Game Assembly in Stockholm. 'It sounded like a strange decision. AI is a new and hot buzzword. But diving headfirst into it to avoid paying a bunch of employees certainly looks good to shareholders.

Primarily, graphic designers and "world builders" (band designers) will be affected as Mindark shifts its focus to "developing AI-generated virtual worlds", according to a press release.

- "I am concerned that this will contribute to the misconception that graphic artists and game designers are not needed to create game worlds. This could affect people's ability to get jobs in the future," said Andreas W Yngvesson.

One of those affected by the redundancies is game designer Hugo Borg.

- "It's very sad. All my colleagues are extremely talented and nice. Considering the state of the economy right now and the fact that we got the news just before the holidays, it was extra hard," he says.


AI time efficient for teams

Kollega has tried to reach Mindark's CEO, Henrik Nel Jerkrot, but without success. However, in the letter he sent to the company's shareholders on August 15, the following summary can be read:

"By using AI, teams will be able to tackle development in a time-efficient manner. This ongoing transition has not been without challenges, including the tough but necessary decision to part ways with some of our employees. The transition also has the benefit of enabling Mindark's board decision to resume dividends to shareholders in the future."

Game developers are no strangers to artificial intelligence. They have long used the technology to create enemies that behave believably or difficulty levels that adapt to the player's ability. But using so-called generative artificial intelligence, or machine learning, to replace staff is less common.

- From a labor market perspective, generative AI can be seen as a productivity enhancement tool. Companies can choose to use this opportunity in different ways. For example, they can raise their ambitions and do more with the same resources, or they can do the same work at a lower cost," says Per Strömbäck, spokesperson for the industry organization Dataspelsbranschen.


Decision met with criticism

Although the decision to replace parts of the workforce with AI tools has been met with criticism, everything has been done according to the rules, says Björn Norberg, an ombudsman from Unionen who handled the negotiations at Mindark.

- 'They have done their homework and done everything right and proper in accordance with labor laws. It is very difficult to argue against when it comes to redundancy for financial reasons. The shareholder demands a dividend or they won't invest," says Björn Norberg, adding that the new technology complicates the matter:

- "Somehow we as a union and organization have to deal with this. If our members lose their jobs because AI takes over, what do we do?

For creators, AI is a double-edged sword that can either make your job easier or take it away. As Mindark began its AI transition, the protracted Hollywood screenwriters' strike continued. Outside the offices of the major film and streaming companies, protesters gathered with placards reading "AI has no soul" and "Human writers only".

says Björn Norberg, an ombudsman from Unionen who handled the negotiations at Mindark.


Not leaving the gaming industry

For Hugo Borg, the abstract threat of AI has become a concrete reality. Nevertheless, he is not ready to leave the gaming industry behind.

- "It's going to be an uncertain time for anyone who wants to work in the industry in the future, but just because of that, I don't think you should opt out of a career in game development. It's an incredibly fun industry to work in," he says.

Other colleagues at Mindark are not so convinced:

- Like many others at Mindark, I have wanted to make video games ever since I was a kid. Now I'm no longer sure," says band designer Jessica Nalbach.

 

"They have long used the technology to create enemies that behave believably or difficulty levels that adapt to the player's ability"

Well that's an outright lie... the mobs neither behave believably or adapt to a player's ability,... and never have done.