Nintendo has likely made its employees very happy, as it has been announced that the base salary of its employees in Japan is getting a significant boost. The move comes at a time when the gaming industry is in a shaky state, making Nintendo's recognition of its workers all the more impressive.
Nintendo, like other console manufacturers, is feeling the pinch right now. Demand for RAM and other hardware is high, but supply is low as companies like Micron shift to selling only to AI companies. As a result of parts prices rising, the price of the Nintendo Switch 2 is rising, similar to the increases that have affected the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles.
Nintendo's share price falls 10% on sales news
Nintendo shares suffered their deepest loss in months after the gaming giant confirmed disappointing sales forecasts for hardware and software.
Nintendo gives back to its employees
Nintendo's president, Shuntaro Furukawa, announced the salary increase at Nintendo's recent annual shareholder meeting. One investor noted that Nintendo does not have a union and wanted to know what the company does to reward its employees. Furukawa responded that he feels it is important for Nintendo to maintain an “appropriate level” of salary and compensation. Consequently, the base salary at Nintendo Japan is increased by an impressive 10%. That's a bit of good news for the industry and game developers as the industry as a whole is struggling with myriad layoffs and the complete shutdown of several game studios.
Click on the game with higher OpenCritic rating.
Unfortunately, it has become common for game developers to be fired after the launch of games, even when they have been successful. For example, Marvel Rivals reached 40 million players within a few months of its launch, but a US-based team working on the game was laid off. Battlefield Studios is another example, which laid off workers despite Battlefield 6 is the best-selling game in 2025. Of course, those who worked on underperforming games are even more likely to see layoffs or closures, but even success isn't necessarily a guarantee of job security.
However, Nintendo isn't the only one that has taken steps to reward its employees for success. Capcom raised employee salaries by a whopping 30% in 2022, while FromSoftware raised theirs by 12% as early as 2025. More recently, Pearl Abyss, the developer of Crimson Desertgave a huge bonus of around $3,400 USD to each member of their team after the game sold 5 million copies. Atlus, the studio behind the immensely popular Persona The JRPG series also raised the wages of its employees, with Atlus employees seeing a 15% increase in their wages on average and an overall decrease in mandatory hours worked.
It's hard to say what the future holds for the gaming industry as a whole, but Nintendo has a history of trying to do right by its employees, even when it's been difficult. Former Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata cut his own salary in half to help cover employee wages. This happened during Nintendo's Wii U era, when the console notoriously struggled to sell and Nintendo's future looked murky. With any luck, it won't be quite as terrible again, but it's good to know that Nintendo is looking out for its workers.
