According to a recent report by InvenGlobal, a total of 271 employees exited the KRAFTON group in January 2026 as part of a company-wide workforce reduction. The departures were primarily driven by a voluntary resignation program that KRAFTON had announced in November 2025 alongside its new “AI First” initiative. The final count reportedly came in lower than what the company’s management had originally expected.
The 271 figure covers KRAFTON’s headquarters and all of its domestic subsidiaries in South Korea. KRAFTON CFO Bae Dong-geun confirmed during a conference call that the resignation process was completed by January 31, 2026. He also noted that roughly KRW 40 billion (approximately $27 million USD) in related costs would be reflected in the company’s first quarter financial results.
RisingWings Records Highest Attrition Rate at 40%
Among all KRAFTON subsidiaries, RisingWings suffered the steepest losses relative to its size. The studio, known for developing Defense Derby and Archer King, saw 41 employees leave. With only 102 staff remaining, that translates to a 40.2% attrition rate, the highest across the entire group.
Bluehole Studio Loses 51 Employees
Bluehole Studio, the team that previously worked on Dark and Darker Mobile and is currently preparing TERA 2, recorded 51 departures. The studio now has a remaining headcount of 200, putting its attrition rate at 25.5%. This makes Bluehole the subsidiary with the second-highest departure ratio.
KRAFTON HQ and PUBG Studio See Largest Absolute Departures
On a raw numbers basis, KRAFTON headquarters saw the most resignations. A total of 158 employees left from HQ, which includes the internal PUBG Studio. However, given the much larger team size, the remaining headcount still stands at 2,072. That puts the departure ratio at 7.6%, well below the levels seen at RisingWings and Bluehole.
inZOI Studio, Dreamotion, and Smaller Teams
The inZOI Studio, which is currently developing the life simulation game inZOI, lost 13 employees. With 140 staff remaining, the attrition rate sits at 9.3%.
Dreamotion, the developer behind Road to Valor and My Little Puppy, saw three employees leave from a total team of 31, resulting in a 9.7% departure rate. Meanwhile, 5minlab, the studio behind the action title Smash Legends, also recorded three departures from its 109-person team, a much lower rate of 2.8%.
Neptune Company, which operates casual gaming and advertising platform businesses through its subsidiaries, reported just two departures from 121 employees, placing its attrition rate at 1.7%.
ReLU Games Reports Zero Departures
ReLU Games stood out as the only KRAFTON subsidiary with no departures at all. The AI-focused game development studio maintained its full workforce of 38 employees. This is notable given that KRAFTON’s broader restructuring is built around an “AI First” strategy, suggesting the company sees this unit as central to its future direction.
Voluntary Resignation Program: Up to 36 Months of Salary
KRAFTON first announced the voluntary resignation program in November 2025. The program was part of a larger restructuring effort that also included internal transfers and job reassignments to retain key talent. Employees who chose to leave were offered support payments worth up to 36 months of salary.
Unlike traditional voluntary retirement programs, this one had no restrictions based on rank, tenure, or years of service. Any employee across the KRAFTON group was free to apply.
