The video game industry has been suffering from an incredible amount of layoffs. Just yesterday, Digital Bros announced 30 percent of their current workforce will be cut, joining Bethesda, 343 Industries, Unity, Epic Games and Amazon Gaming as some of the bigger names laying off workers. The main reason for these layoffs is financial concerns. Atlus, however, made a surprising announcement compared to the recent trend: they’re increasing employee pay by 15 percent.
The Persona and Shin Megami Tensei developer plans to have the pay increase go into effect starting in 2024. New graduates will have their base salary raised from 257,000 yen to 300,000 ($1,977) and all current employees can expect their average annual salary to increase by 15 percent in April 2014. Atlus also states that due to “due to strong overseas business development” they will be providing performance bonuses through worldwide funds.
Altus’ translated statement from Game Developer says the company wants to ensure they can have and keep top talent as it “promotes global expansion” by “creating an environment where employees can perform to the best of their ability through stable income.”
It’s no secret that Atlus has been performing well overseas. In 2016, they published the critically acclaimed (and long-awaited) sixth main installment in the Persona series: Persona 5. By 2019, the game already proved itself worthy of receiving an upgraded version with new content. Persona 5 Royal was worldwide by 2020. By April 2023, the lengthy RPG had sold 7.2 million units, making it the best-selling game in both the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei franchises. The game has since spawned four spin-offs, including Persona 5 Tactica, which releases this Friday, November 17, 2023.
As Atlus had already promised its employees a 5 percent pay increase back in April 2023, hopefully, other studios will soon follow the trend to ensure employees are working not only for their passion but their livelihood.