Discussion Former Nintendo Japan Employee talks salaries and work experience.

[SirArthur]

https://automaton-media.com/en/news/20231115-23031/

Miura Koichi, a 45-year-old freelance CG designer from Japan, recently caused a sensation on social media after posting a very frank and personal recount of his experience of working at Nintendo of Japan.

In the viral post that has received over 25 million views, Miura says that “Nintendo is an incredible company, but I wouldn’t lightly recommend it to others. It was like a haven for geniuses and superhumans, but for an average person like me, it was hell. However, thanks to this, I was able to realize that I wasn’t suited for the role and found the confidence I needed to pursue other goals. This was the biggest accomplishment that working for Nintendo brought me. I don’t have a single regret for having aspired to work there , getting the job, and then ultimately quitting it.” He goes on to stress once again that he truly thinks the company and its employees are “wonderful” and refers to his years at Nintendo as a precious experience that he is grateful for.

Furthermore, in a previous post dating back to August, Miura gave a detailed overview of the course of his career and the changes in his annual income. The chart shows how his salary gradually doubled as he transitioned from a part-time to a full-time employee at Bandai Namco during the period between 1999 and 2015. While at Bandai, his salary had not exceeded $40k. After joining Square Enix, Miura started earning more than $46k as a full-time employee, but after switching to Nintendo in 2019, his salary leaped to over $70k. To clarify, Miura added that over the years, his work had included lead and management roles, production management, writing, and working on layouts etc., allowing him to interact with various sections.

An interesting perspective from a freelance that worked at Nintendo, according to MobyGames their are credited as Landscape Artist in TOTK so joining in 2019 falls into place.

Also the knowledge of salaries is very interesting, specially now that we have seen companies raise salaries, it gives an idea of how much they have been paying.


EDIT: I changed the thread title, since the headline of the article has additional context.

 

[grobla123]

Lead and production roles at equiv 70k with that much experience and responsibility is wild to me, and it sounds like without working for a bigger company like nintendo even that was relatively good amount for him. I know cost of living and PPP isn't the same across nations, but your savings wouldn't be all that good after so much hard work if you wanted to move.

 

[Decoyman]

I read the headline expecting a horror story but unless I'm misreading the details it sounds a bit like imposter syndrome? Just reading the jump between salaries alone I can feel how much relative pressure that comes with the job, but since this is video game development I'm not discounting deeper fuckery going on with lower level employees.

 

[Gingerbread Man]

I read the headline expecting a horror story but unless I'm misreading the details it sounds a bit like imposter syndrome? Just reading the jump between salaries alone I can feel how much relative pressure that comes with the job, but since this is video game development I'm not discounting deeper fuckery going on with lower level employees.

Well, an environment where every talented employee is giving their best is competitive, but I don't see anything toxic from the Tweets.

I think we there's a language barrier there. Either some negative nuances weren't conveyed by the translation, or the equivalent of "like hell" is "softer" in Japanese than in English.

 

[amiigo]

The headline and the content don't match

 

[Aether]

Do

Lead and production roles at equiv 70k with that much experience and responsibility is wild to me, and it sounds like without working for a bigger company like nintendo even that was relatively good amount for him. I know cost of living and PPP isn't the same across nations, but your savings wouldn't be all that good after so much hard work if you wanted to move.

don't know, I mostly hear that from Americans.

70-100k€ yearly in Austria (~15 richest country) a rather wealthy country puts you in the top 2.5%, and that's from those wearing. So a rare sight. 20-25k yearly is median.

Mind you, public health is "free". (If you're working, co insured (spouse, children), or searching for a job). Universities are free. Nobody is paying huge amounts to stay insured and pay of student loans. Otherwise it would not work I guess.
Have enough developers in team managing positions on hand to say: 70-80k sounds about right. More and you're probably CEO or in a really high/special position.
Germany's not that different.

What's also playing into it: Japanese companies play the hire and fire game less. Lower wages = more sustainable if between projects or in a weak period.
Just check the pay of Japanese gaming CEOs vs Western ones.

 

[SirArthur]

I read the headline expecting a horror story but unless I'm misreading the details it sounds a bit like imposter syndrome? Just reading the jump between salaries alone I can feel how much relative pressure that comes with the job, but since this is video game development I'm not discounting deeper fuckery going on with lower level employees.

The headline and the content don't match

I agree. I was thinking of changing it

 

[Kreese]

The headline and the content don't match

But did it make you click??

 

[rêverie]

this is a really interesting look behind the curtain. i had read nintendo pays well, but that disparity between bamco/SE and nintendo is even larger than i expected. i'd presume $70k is quite a good salary for japan given the differences in cost of living.

haven't clicked into the full article so unsure if he goes into detail, but i wonder what the work/life balance is like at nintendo. not that it'd be the same at all, but i have pondered the thought of maybe trying to work at NoA sometime in my career...

 

[OctoSplattack]

If the worst thing you can say about your old job is that you developed imposter syndrome, it sounds like a pretty good gig, to be honest. Like, imposter syndrome isn't a good thing, but on the list of things that make a job terrible, "my coworkers are probably superhuman geniuses and I don't think I can measure up" isn't too high up there.

That info about his salary at different studios is really interesting though.

 

[Lugia667]

I feel like if there was something really juicy, there would be a lot more posts in this thread by now lol

 

[TLZ]

Mind you, public health is "free". (If you're working, co insured (spouse, children), or searching for a job). Universities are free. Nobody is paying huge amounts to stay insured and pay of student loans.

That alone is great.

 

[WestEgg]

I came in expecting disappointment and am just reaffirmed now that Nintendo, at least NCL in Japan, has a sustainable and overall favorable work environment.

 

[Lugia667]

It's actually a really interesting and informative interview and its incredibly disappointing that the site resorted to clickbait for it

 

[boodream]

That alone is great.

Rest assured, the countries of Europe as a whole have long since embarked on a series of violent, uninterrupted reforms that will eventually make them as socially violent and unjust as the countries of North America. The welfare state is going to be dead. But as long as we can consume things like video games, everything seems to be wonderful.

 

[Dekuman]

The salary bumps are interesting.

I came in expecting the worst, but is leaving knowing NCL is generally a good place to work that attracts the top top talent in japan.

 

[Mango]

...damn I wish I worked at Nintendo.

 

[TLZ]

Rest assured, the countries of Europe as a whole have long since embarked on a series of violent, uninterrupted reforms that will eventually make them as socially violent and unjust as the countries of North America. The welfare state is going to be dead. But as long as we can consume things like video games, everything seems to be wonderful.

Oh no... Learn from other's mistakes.

 

[Mr_No_U]

sounds like humblebrag tbh

 

[lexony]

If the worst thing you can say about your old job is that you developed imposter syndrome, it sounds like a pretty good gig, to be honest. Like, imposter syndrome isn't a good thing, but on the list of things that make a job terrible, "my coworkers are probably superhuman geniuses and I don't think I can measure up" isn't too high up there.

That info about his salary at different studios is really interesting though.

Don‘t know if there is something lost in translation, though I made the experience at least in the indie space that almost all game artists suffer from Imposter Syndrome. Especially if you are someone who is good in in adapting Artstyles after a template but less so in doing concept art or original designs yourself. At a big company like Nintendo, with so many talented artists, this must be on another level.

 

[Sadist]

Sounds pretty decent to me, both monetary and in work related experiences.

Kind of surprised that someone wouldn’t consider $ 70k plus all that spectacular. Thinking about euro’s, that’s around € 65k. In the Netherlands, with our healthcare system and more, you’d have an amazing salary. That would put you around the € 5400 mark on a monthly basis, gross income.

For your information, minimum monthly gross income for NL is 1995 per month, which puts you around € 24k per year.

Nintendo pays well it seems.

 

[Mer.Saloon]

I was pretty worried about it being the worst.

But well, it seems not so bad.

 

[Lord Azrael]

So Nintendo pays more than their contemporaries, enforces reasonable hours and attracts wonderful people? Which part of that is hell

 

[meatbag]

If the worst thing you can say about your old job is that you developed imposter syndrome, it sounds like a pretty good gig, to be honest

That was my takeaway too. Nintendo of Japan seems like a great place to work at. Hell I’d love to mingle with these so-called superhumans.

 

[Lozjam]

Lead and production roles at equiv 70k with that much experience and responsibility is wild to me, and it sounds like without working for a bigger company like nintendo even that was relatively good amount for him. I know cost of living and PPP isn't the same across nations, but your savings wouldn't be all that good after so much hard work if you wanted to move.

You can get a 2 Bedroom apartment in Kyoto for like 40,000 yen, which is like $350 a month. A fully cooked meal in Japan, if you go to a convenience store like 7/11, is like $4. That salary is insanely good for the area.

If the worst thing you can say about your old job is that you developed imposter syndrome, it sounds like a pretty good gig, to be honest. Like, imposter syndrome isn't a good thing, but on the list of things that make a job terrible, "my coworkers are probably superhuman geniuses and I don't think I can measure up" isn't too high up there.

That info about his salary at different studios is really interesting though.

This is likely why Nintendo has such a ridiculously low turn over rate, and probably why we hear so little about Nintendo.

 

[Tyrien]

Sounds pretty decent to me, both monetary and in work related experiences.

Kind of surprised that someone wouldn’t consider $ 70k plus all that spectacular. Thinking about euro’s, that’s around € 65k. In the Netherlands, with our healthcare system and more, you’d have an amazing salary. That would put you around the € 5400 mark on a monthly basis, gross income.

For your information, minimum monthly gross income for NL is 1995 per month, which puts you around € 24k per year.

Nintendo pays well it seems.

For the type of education and experience this position needs and considering it's at one of the best companies in the industry... it's not that much money at all.

They probably have a 'you are lucky to work here' atmosphere.

 

[k samedi]

For the type of education and experience this position needs and considering it's at one of the best companies in the industry... it's not that much money at all.

They probably have a 'you are lucky to work here' atmosphere.

These are great salaries in European countries though. Don’t know about Japan but I figure it’s the same there.

 

[ShadowFox08]

https://automaton-media.com/en/news/20231115-23031/









An interesting perspective from a freelance that worked at Nintendo, according to MobyGames their are credited as Landscape Artist in TOTK so joining in 2019 falls into place.

Also the knowledge of salaries is very interesting, specially now that we have seen companies raise salaries, it gives an idea of how much they have been paying.


EDIT: I changed the thread title, since the headline of the article has additional context.

that's crazy it only doubled that that time period. I kind of wonder if inflation hit harder in Japan than the west?

If the worst thing you can say about your old job is that you developed imposter syndrome, it sounds like a pretty good gig, to be honest. Like, imposter syndrome isn't a good thing, but on the list of things that make a job terrible, "my coworkers are probably superhuman geniuses and I don't think I can measure up" isn't too high up there.

That info about his salary at different studios is really interesting though.

I disagree. This is widely dependant on how supportive your workplace is. I had a terrible and unsupportive boss in a last job who berated me and questioned my skills which made me develop imposter syndrome and question my sanity.

 

[Nakapol]

For the type of education and experience this position needs and considering it's at one of the best companies in the industry... it's not that much money at all.

They probably have a 'you are lucky to work here' atmosphere.

it'a all about insane benefit they offer. you must thinking about rent, they probably covered that for you.

 

[sadsquid]

that's crazy it only doubled that that time period. I kind of wonder if inflation hit harder in Japan than the west?

The opposite. Japan has fared relatively well with inflation, keeping it lower than most developed countries over the last couple of years (although still above target).

 

[uncleoptimus]

While at Bandai, his salary had not exceeded $40k. After joining Square Enix, Miura started earning more than $46k as a full-time employee, but after switching to Nintendo in 2019, his salary leaped to over $70k.

For a 20+ year industry veteran that also had managing roles, I'd say the US equivalent would be easily double that and triple that wouldn't surprise me.

But of course its all relative.

For example:

You can get a 2 Bedroom apartment in Kyoto for like 40,000 yen, which is like $350 a month.

I don't know if $350/month in California could get you a couch to sleep on, at least not a good couch

...I'm not even sure if I'm joking :\

===

Here is the google translation of the tweet:

Nintendo was a great company, but I wouldn't recommend it to others easily because it was a nest of superhumans and geniuses. As an average person, it was hell for me. Thanks to that, I realized that it wasn't for me and went in a different direction. I was able to make up my mind to aim for this, and that is my greatest accomplishment from working at Nintendo, so I have no regrets about aiming for it and then giving up on it.
Let me repeat this so that there is no misunderstanding, but I really thought it was a very good company and the employees were wonderful people. I was convinced that such amazing products were being produced one after another.I had a valuable experience.
Thank you very much for your support.I believe that using this experience to play an active role and contribute to society will be my way of repaying the favor. Sorry about the boobs (I'm not angry so far...)

Sorry about the boobs (I'm not angry so far...)

 

[MadMarvainy]

So Nintendo pays more than their contemporaries, enforces reasonable hours and attracts wonderful people? Which part of that is hell

I heard getting hired onto one of their internal devs teams is as hard if not harder than getting into NASA odds-wise.

meaning they have some high-caliber talent. it checks out imo. how many devs can make a game like ToTK and not have it be buggy?

I'd imagine imposter syndrome hit this individual hard based on what they said.

 

[Lugia667]

this may be relevant to the whole 70k thing as well. Housing prices there haven't really exploded like they have in some cities here

 

[invwar]

You can get a 2 Bedroom apartment in Kyoto for like 40,000 yen, which is like $350 a month. A fully cooked meal in Japan, if you go to a convenience store like 7/11, is like $4. That salary is insanely good for the area.


This is likely why Nintendo has such a ridiculously low turn over rate, and probably why we hear so little about Nintendo.

I might be a bit snobby here, but a 7/11 meal is nothing I would consider in any way a suitable daily meal. Yes, sometimes it is a meal to fill your stomach, but it is far away from anything I would recommend daily. The meals I had on my Vacation in 2017 were around 8-10USD. Still easily 50% of US prices, were I barely found anything worthy for below 15USD (excluding mandatory tip). Also the grocerys felt quite expensive to me, but maybe I was in the wrong ones. Also commuting felt quite pricey, but convenient.
tldr: it felt quite similar to average Europe, with some parts more expensive, some less.

 

[Tyrien]

These are great salaries in European countries though. Don’t know about Japan but I figure it’s the same there.

it'a all about insane benefit they offer. you must thinking about rent, they probably covered that for you.

I'm sure. Plus the Nintendo Tax. Similar to Blizzard Tax. You have the benefit of being at the best company in the industry.

Also maybe I'm misunderstanding what his role is. Is it design within the programming or outside of (art/concepts/storyboard)? Like is he the one making the CG cutscenes in games for example or just kinda telling the programmers what he wants. I'd imagine software engineers get paid much more.

If not, gaming isn't the industry to be in lol You'd be doing it solely because you love it. Which is great. I'm sure it's really fun but stressful.

 

[SNP]

I'm sure. Plus the Nintendo Tax. Similar to Blizzard Tax. You have the benefit of being at the best company in the industry.

Also maybe I'm misunderstanding what his role is. Is it design within the programming or outside of (art/concepts/storyboard)? Like is he the one making the CG cutscenes in games for example or just kinda telling the programmers what he wants. I'd imagine software engineers get paid much more.

If not, gaming isn't the industry to be in lol You'd be doing it solely because you love it. Which is great. I'm sure it's really fun but stressful.

He is a landscape artist for ToTK, as in the OP said, he joined Nintendo in 2019 after he jumped ship from Square and his salary is almost doubled.