Krafton initiates voluntary resignation program
The company is also freezing hiring in areas outside AI and organizations developing original IP.
Inzoi and Subnautica company Krafton has initiated a so-called voluntary resignation program.
As reported Business Korea, and spotted by Automaton, the announcement was reportedly made internally on November 12. The program is offered to all employees, including junior staff with five years of service or less.
According to the report, Krafton plans to provide the following payments based on years of service: 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, and 36 months' salary for more than 11 years.
Regarding the reasoning behind the program, a company representative told Business Korea that "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."
This refers to plans outlined in financial earnings reports and presentations for the third quarter ended September 30, in which Krafton restated plans to become an "AI First" company. "By advancing its AI capabilities, the company aims to deliver differentiated user experiences and drive innovation across all services," read the earnings report at the time.
"The company plans to support members in autonomously deciding whether to continue the direction of change internally or expand externally," the statement to Business Korea continues.
Krafton implements hiring freeze after 'record high' quarterly revenue
When asked if the AI First transition was related to labor cost reduction during the earnings announcement on November 4, Bae Dong-geun, CFO of Krafton, said that "excluding organizations developing original intellectual property (IP) and AI-related personnel, we have frozen hiring company-wide."
The CFO then added that "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." The latter refers to the fact that the company has 11 new projects in development (as of November 2025).
The news of the hiring freeze and the voluntary resignation program comes days after Krafton reported a "record high" quarterly operating profit numbers of 1.052 trillion Korean won (around $717 million).
"This is the first time since the company's founding that cumulative operating profit for the third quarter has exceeded 1 trillon won," Krafton said during its financial report.