King, the Microsoft-owned studio behind Candy Crush, has rejected a collective bargaining agreement sought by Swedish employees after a year of negotiations with trade unions Unionen and Sveriges Ingenjörer. Company president Todd Green cited King's existing benefits package as superior and argued that adopting a collective agreement would require significant operational changes. The union club at King was originally formed in late 2024 following the removal of a private doctor benefit. The rejection comes amid broader Microsoft layoffs affecting King, including around 200 redundancies in Barcelona in 2025 and reports of employees being replaced by internal AI tools. Unionen expressed disappointment but said it remains committed to supporting King staff and continuing dialogue after summer.
