SalesNow, a Japanese software developer,released a rankingof domestic game development companies based on the average yearly salary of employees (nice spot,Automaton). The data was compiled using SalesNow DB, a large Japanese corporate database that gathers data from public sources such as tax office disclosures.
Something sure to surprise some is that Nintendo doesn’t rank first, but rather third. The top prize goes to Sony, which has an average employee salary of ¥11,132,231 ($75,000). Bandai Namco closely follows Sony, with an average salary of ¥10,950,000 ($74,000). These two companies are the only companies with an average employee salary higher than 10 million yen, with third-placed Nintendo coming in at ¥9,626,857 ($65,000).
The full table can be found below, with approximate salaries in USD.
1
11,132,231 ($75,000)
2
10,950,000 ($74,000)
3
9,626,857 ($65,000)
4
8,791,596 ($59,000)
5
8,557,000 ($57,000)
6
8,540,000 ($57,000)
7
8,328,000 ($56,000)
8
8,105,686 ($54,000)
9
7,504,000 ($50,000)
10
7,421,000 ($50,000)
11
7,290,000 ($49,000)
12
7,256,000 ($49,000)
13
7,188,223 ($48,000)
14
7,108,375 ($48,000)
15
6,743,000 ($45,000)
16
6,719,000 ($45,000)
17
6,528,603 ($44,000)
18
6,449,000 ($43,000)
19
6,339,917 ($42,000)
20
FuRyu
6,231,302 ($42,000)
Notably, Square Enix does not appear in the list despite the reputation and longevity of the company. FromSoftware (or parent company Kadokawa) is also absent. Bandai Namco has attracted positive attention for how high-paying the company is.
While these salaries may seem relatively low compared to the United States, where the average salary of a game developer is over $100,000, the cost of living is significantly lower in Japan, especially when comparing tech hotspots to their equivalents in Japan. For example, the cost of living in Tokyo is 30 per cent lower than in Los Angeles.
The average median salary in Japan is around 4.4 million JPY ($38,000), meaning game development is relatively high-paying.
