Capcom is increasing its starting salary in Japan by more than 25%

06.03.2024 - 12:03 / videogameschronicle.com / Chris Scullion / Nintendo

Capcom has announced that it will be increasing its starting salary in Japan by more than 25%.

At the moment, the existing pay for new graduate hires is ¥235,000 per month (around $1,560), but beginning in its 2025 fiscal year the company will change this to ¥300,000 per month (around $2,000).

“With this increase in starting salary, Capcom is pursuing further investment in human capital and the acquisition of exceptional talent”, a Capcom statement reads.

As well as the increase in starting salary, current employees (including those who join in the 2024 fiscal year) will be given a “one-time special payment”, which Capcom describes as “an investment in the people who support the future of the company”.

Existing salaries will also be raised in fiscal year 2024, by an average of more than 5%.

Capcom already increased employees’ average base salaries by 30% in April 2022, and introduced a new bonus system more closely tied to the company’s business performance.

At the time, the company said the move was an attempt “to address the issues facing our society while aiming improve its corporate value and establishing a relationship of trust with employees and stakeholders”.

Other Japanese publishers have increased salaries in recent years, with prime minister Fumio Kishida reportedly calling for Japanese companies to pay workers more as inflation takes hold in the economy.

In February 2023, Nintendo announced that it was raising its employees’ base salaries by 10% in Japan.

A few weeks later Sega announced that it would increase the average monthly salary of existing employees in Japan by approximately 30%, and that it would be increasing its starting salary for graduates by 35%.

Capcom continues to enjoy financial success, and noted in October 2023 that the first half of its current fiscal year was strong enough to keep it on track to achieve its 11th consecutive year of operating income growth.

Healthy launch sales of titles like Street Fighter 6 and Resident Evil 4 remake as well as continued digital sales of its older titles mean the company is in rude health financially, a level of success it doubtless hopes to see continue with the upcoming release of Dragon’s Dogma 2 this month and Monster Hunter Wilds in 2025.