Krafton's AI shake-up, NCsoft's Horizon MMO reveal, and Candy Crush Saga Adventures | Week in Views
The games industry moves quickly and while stories may come and go there are some that we just can't let go of…
So, to give those particularly thorny topics a further going over we've created a weekly digest where the members of the PocketGamer.biz team share their thoughts and go that little bit deeper on some of the more interesting things that have happened in mobile gaming in the past week.
Craig Chapple
Krafton is offering voluntary resignations to employees amid AI-first shift
Krafton feels like the canary in the coal mine for generative AI use in games.
I’ve said previously in the newsletter and podcast that I’m surprised the company hasn’t made more headlines for its statements. The publisher has championed using AI in voice acting roles and more recently announced it would be investing around $69 million as it shifts further to an ‘AI-first’ firm.
Now it’s offering voluntary resignations for staff. That feels more like a risky move if its AI venture doesn’t pay off in the way Krafton’s leadership expects. It’s also pretty brazen, but at least honest, that the company is telling staff it wants to replace their work.
Developers and publishers around the world are already using generative AI, but Krafton is the most open about its ambitions.
It’ll serve as a litmus test - how will consumers react? Will there be significant churn in headcount with voluntary resignations? Can Krafton attract top talent with its AI-first agenda? Then the biggest question: can it make great new games?
If it’s more than just marketing, Krafton’s AI-first strategy is one to watch.
Paige Cook
NCSoft reveals new global MMORPG Horizon Steel Frontiers for mobile and PC
NCSoft’s reveal of Horizon Steel Frontiers, a new mobile/PC MMORPG developed in partnership with Guerrilla, caught me a little by surprise.
Horizon has, of course, established itself as a PlayStation exclusive, so seeing a title debut on mobile and PC is different. There are plenty of cross-platform MMOs spanning across console, PC and mobile, so some fans may wonder why it wouldn’t be the case for a game that has made much of its fanbase on PlayStation, but the game is coming to us via NCsoft’s Purple platform which is built for PC and mobile.
As a fan of the franchise, I’m intrigued to see how it translates not only to the PC/mobile format but also to the MMO structure. The first two mainline entries are visually stunning and have a world full of lore and satisfying combat moments, so I’m interested to see how they take the core elements that we are familiar with and make it work here.
Another angle that sprang to mind when I saw the news was the ongoing legal dispute between Sony and Tencent. Back in July, Sony filed a copyright lawsuit claiming Tencent’s Light of Motriam is a “slavish clone” of the Horizon series, which Tencent denies. With the franchise now getting its own PC/mobile MMO built around the Horizon franchise, it gives this legal dispute extra depth.
Ultimately, as a fan myself, I’m intrigued to see what Horizon looks like outside the mainline series and whether the MMO approach will resonate with longtime fans or bring in new ones who haven’t yet played the main series.
Aaron Astle
How Saga Adventures make Candy Crush a "living, breathing universe"
"Level-first doesn’t mean the level creates the story, but it does shape the tone. For example, if we’re working with a series of levels that introduce a new mechanic - say, something fast or unpredictable - that could inspire a chaotic theme like an alien invasion."
This week I spoke with King software engineer Tobi Ibikunle about Saga Adventures in Candy Crush, which aims to deepen the game’s narrative and invest players beyond the match-3 gameplay.
Ibikunle went in-depth on the ideation process, collaboration between teams, and the overall journey of implementing Saga Adventures. The current event, tied-in with Candy Crush’s Music Season, lets players create their own tracks through gameplay progress.
"Each Adventure ties a story to the gameplay, so players aren’t just progressing through puzzles - they’re part of a themed journey," he added.
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