Over the last few months, every time I write about one of the big gaming companies, it’s to talk about their latest round of layoffs. These layoffs have affected everyone from Sony to Microsoft and seemingly everyone in between – except, it turns out, for Capcom.
In an investor meeting this week, the gaming industry’s most unsuspecting good guy announced that it would be increasing its base starting salary for all hires in Japan and giving those currently employed a raise of over 5% on average this year.
Now, not to be a downer, but it speaks volumes about the state of affairs lately that a 5% increase, essentially to cover the cost-of-living bump, made the news and is being celebrated like this big, generous gesture, but here we are.
Considering these increases, the starting salary for new employees at Capcom Japan will be raised from ¥235,000 per month to ¥300,000. Current and new employees will also receive a one-time special payment as an investment in the people who support the company’s future and will benefit from a new bonus system more closely linked to the company’s business performance as well as a stock-based employee compensation system.
Capcom has been on a winning streak lately, thanks to fan-favourite releases like Monster Hunter World and Rise, Resident Evil remakes, Street Fighter 6 and the upcoming Dragon’s Dogma 2.
As of writing, it’s still unclear if the 5% employee raises and other benefits will be for employees worldwide or just those in Japan, but still, in a world where those working in the gaming industry have to fear for their jobs on a seemingly daily bases, it’s nice to cover some positive news – even if the bar is incredibly low.