COMP NEWS – Bandai Namco, the publisher of the recently released and critically acclaimed video game “Elden Ring”, announced to its Japanese staff an upcoming pay increase in April amounting to an average increase of 50,000 yen (or about 500 USD) per month.

Announced to staff on February 28, the publisher said in a press release (translated by IGN Japan) “Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. will increase the ratio of basic salary to annual income from April 2022, with the aim of improving working conditions by stabilizing employee income. We will introduce a new compensation system that raises the basic salary by an average of 50,000 yen per month for all employees. In addition, the starting salary will be raised from the previous 232,000 yen per month to 290,000 yen per month.”

This pay increase represents a 25% boost in starting salary, a raise unheard of in the video game development industry, which is routinely criticized for low pay and poor working conditions. Moreover, Bandai Namco is allotting their employees more work flexibility, instilling policies that allow staff to choose when and where they work in some cases.

This salary includes a 10,000 yen allowance awarded for the “Entertainment Input Opportunity Provision System”, a scheme recently introduced as part of Bandai Namco’s “Activity Based Working” system. Alongside this input opportunity scheme, the system is designed to allow staff the ability to choose when and where they work depending on their project goals.

This announcement came following Elden Ring’s booming success, with many publications hailing it as one of the greatest games of all time.

The announcement follows a strong release for Elden Ring, which launched to fantastic reviews and keeps getting bigger on Steam. 

To read more about Bandai Namco’s pay increases for Elden Ring’s success, click here.

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