Really? In the US still as well? Huh. I live in Atlanta if that helps at all, but 60 to 70 for entry is generally passed over for other companies in most of my circles for software dev.
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Splatoon 3 Level Designer position posted, entry level salary: about $35k USD a year with benefits
- Thread starter Charizard
- Start date
Really? In the US still as well? Huh. I live in Atlanta if that helps at all, but 60 to 70 for entry is generally passed over for other companies in most of my circles for software dev.
Mmm not really, rent in Kyoto/Osaka region isn't that high, something like 60-70% of the equivalent in Tokyo?
Its probably that way because the gaming industry has more supply than demand. Alot of people don't know that there's alot of competition in the gaming industry and salary to start is a pittance (depending on cost of living and city you live in). You have to get alot of years of experience to move up. Worse for lead designers as I think it doesn't really involve having degrees, more practical experience in the industry to move up.
ITT people who don't understand salary vs total comp.
I suggest all of you look in to what your total comp is vs. what your salary is before snapping judgment on Nintendo. Yes 44K total comp would be low in the states, that's not what Nintendo is offering. 44K base outside of comp is a different thing though... Base in the US is also going to be a bit different. Factor in your insurance premiums, cost of healthcare, then Nintendo is also paying transportation and a housing stipend which I guarantee you you're not getting in the US.
I suggest all of you look in to what your total comp is vs. what your salary is before snapping judgment on Nintendo. Yes 44K total comp would be low in the states, that's not what Nintendo is offering. 44K base outside of comp is a different thing though... Base in the US is also going to be a bit different. Factor in your insurance premiums, cost of healthcare, then Nintendo is also paying transportation and a housing stipend which I guarantee you you're not getting in the US.
When I left undergrad (US based; within the last decade), some entry level jobs at other firms in my industry were paying $200k. This seems very low to me, much like I was surprised to see US wages in general are low. I mean, I get some of that is work-based privilege, but also...huh.
Aye wtf does everyone on here earn! Resetera always seems to skew quite well off.
I am on barely over half of that and UK based.
Do graduate computing science folks earn much more than £25k with 0 experience?
In Canada, Toronto to be specific where cost of living is fairly high (average home price just exceeded $1 million). There are certainly companies here who pay much better, but it's not universal for anyone coming from a STEM background.
Our HR department has been candid about our pay scales, but it's not like we are hurting to find candidates.
It's very obvious that many posters in this thread are not familiar with life in Japan. Pay there doesn't compare to the US for a lot of similar positions.
I lived in Tokyo with less just fine, not that I would be opposed to better paying jobs in Japan...
With transportation and an housing allowance included it's really not even a concern anymore.
I've said it before, but American tech salaries (and I mean all tech, even outside of the big name brand companies) are probably the highest in the world and people here don't seem to realize that.
Pretty much, I was getting paid more for my first job after graduation. Why is it so low
We typically hire computer science undergraduates fresh out of uni at around £28-30k (~$40k).
This is at a government science lab in the UK (outside London, but in the South). Worth nothing that generally we offer lower than private sector wages due to gov pay constraints, employee benefits and the defined benefit pension scheme.
Paying you 35k plus bonuses and other benefits with 0 experience is a bad salary???
80% of the worlds populations wished it had those conditions.
80% of the worlds populations wished it had those conditions.
There is only one developed country where that is not the case... https://globalresidenceindex.com/hnwi-index/health-index/
Those benefits are literally the bare minimum. Well except for maybe in the US because screw labor laws there.
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I was making $72k upon graduation with a CS degree. Granted this is very respectable but most CS graduates start around $50-60k for lower degrees/not well known places and this is Nintendo we are talking about so.. idk
This is not so much a country difference as much as it seems people wanting to defend Nintendo.
Edit: I think the correct statement would be that Japanese salaries are pretty low which applies to Nintendo. I wonder if NOA has a similar role. I would eat my hat if they do and it pays anything less than 50k atleast.
I was making $72k upon graduation with a CS degree. Granted this is very respectable but most CS graduates start around $50-60k for lower degrees/not well known places and this is Nintendo we are talking about so.. idk
This is not so much a country difference as much as it seems people wanting to defend Nintendo.
Edit: I think the correct statement would be that Japanese salaries are pretty low which applies to Nintendo. I wonder if NOA has a similar role. I would eat my hat if they do and it pays anything less than 50k atleast.
Yeah if you think about it, the $15 minimum wage that's being pushed, which should absolutely happen, is still only $15 x 40 x 52 = $31,200/year (roughly)
Absolutely this.
Keep the same facts but change the name of the publisher to Gearbox and this would amount to a human rights violation.
The US market absolutely is known to pay software engineers much better than Europe and Asia, for many reasons. This is a pretty well established phenomenon
Ummh no, it's a country difference. Well in my (uni) city at least starting at $50k is above average for new CS grads. And I know from my japanese friends that average engineering salary is lower in japan than here.
This is more than I started as a junior level designer at a major AAA. I started at $36K CAD, which, by today's exchange rates, is ~$28K USD.
I don't know anything about salaries in the video game world, but that's considerably less money than I make as a teacher in Japan and I find that pretty shocking. They would have to have 10 years of experience to be pulling in more than I do. I also get housing, transportation, etc.
Drive-by. It's around the entry level for that sort of job in the UK.
Yeah. Here's a better comparison:
Cost of Living in Japan: What You Should Know | InterNations
Why is it so expensive to live in Japan? The answer may surprise you. Read our InterNations cost of living section to learn more.
In Japan, we use monthly salary rather than yearly salary.
$35K/year = approximately $2916/month. For sake of clarity, we'll round this to $2920.
An average worker's monthly salary is around 280,000–300,000 JPY per month, or 2,500–2,700 USD per month. Nintendo's offering is above average, and thus, is considered well-paid.
A single person living in Tokyo can expect to spend around 120,000 JPY (1,100 USD) per month, not including rent. If you add in the average rental price for a one-bedroom apartment, this expense goes up to nearly 245,000 JPY (2,200 USD). A family living in Tokyo will see that number tripled, because there are family-oriented, additional benefits.
Charizard
OP, please update your thread post and add some additional notes to compare salary with cost of living in Japan. Rather than directly converting to USD and comparing it with the cost of living in America.
Nah the US wages for CS-related jobs are much higher than places like the UK and Europe, for example.
Oh, cool. I had no clue you were in Japan.Yeah. Here's a better comparison:
Cost of Living in Japan: What You Should Know | InterNations
Why is it so expensive to live in Japan? The answer may surprise you. Read our InterNations cost of living section to learn more.www.internations.org
In Japan, we use monthly salary rather than yearly salary.
$35K/year = approximately $2916/month. For sake of clarity, we'll round this to $2920.
An average worker's monthly salary is around 280,000–300,000 JPY per month, or 2,500–2,700 USD per month. Nintendo's offering is above average, and thus, is considered well-paid.
A single person living in Tokyo can expect to spend around 120,000 JPY (1,100 USD) per month, not including rent. If you add in the average rental price for a one-bedroom apartment, this expense goes up to nearly 245,000 JPY (2,200 USD). A family living in Tokyo will see that number tripled, because there are family-oriented, additional benefits.
It should be noted that you can (like anywhere) find much cheaper rent in Tokyo. I had an 1LDK that was decently spacious in Kasai like a 10 min walk from the station for ~$800 bucks a month with utilities. I rode my bike to work, and I cooked most of my own meals. I was able to save like half of my pay every month.
35M JPY is more than enough to live comfortably in Japan. Monthly living costs in Kyoto for 1 person can easily fall under 100,000 JPY (Rent + Utilities + Food combined)
That being said, considering Nintendo pays both a commute allowance and a housing allowance, I'd say it actually fairs even better than most entry gigs.
That being said, considering Nintendo pays both a commute allowance and a housing allowance, I'd say it actually fairs even better than most entry gigs.
Like paying for giving birth and being born with an illness?
Comparing salaries is pretty meaningless without any context of cost of living.
Many Japanese companies, especially fairly large ones like Nintendo do yearly group hiring, where a hundred or so people are hired even before they graduate University. Then they do orientation in Spring and teach over the next few years how to be a part of the work environment and what skills they need for their particular department. Unlike other places, in Japan 0 years of experience really means 0 years of experience.
The total package and pay seems reasonable and competitive for Japan.
I just landed a job in Japan that pays almost half as much and I'm pretty excited to be honest.
"Completely change the situation and then the situation would be completely different!"
Shocking.
The replies in this thread make me sad working for an American company in a 3rd world country. Started with 6.5k annually and now with 8 years of experience barely earning 17.5k. Cost of living and taxes here are also pretty high if you want to have a good standard of living so yeah 35k a year with housing and benefits in Japan seems better.
Amazing to see posters try to dismiss people with actual work experience in Japan as "defending Nintendo".
That's true but has nothing to do with the salary and everything to do with working for Randy Pitchford
Do you actually think that you're being clever when you posted this because lol.
That's for that specific job, not working 15 years in general. It looks like they're paying different rates for the same position based on the applicant's experience. If you properly worked for Nintendo you'd receive promotions over time, presumably.
