We spent basically all of last year reporting on bummer news for the game industry. We did the same for the year before that. Not because we enjoy doing so, of course; things are just in a bad way on so many levels. It is virtually guaranteed that there will be further waves of mass layoffs throughout 2026, too, so buckle up.
All of this is to say, it’s always nice when we can talk about something positive instead. If you happen to be a Japanese game developer, then hopefully, this one applies to you as much as it does to nearly 80 percent of the industry workforce over there.
Income Rises, Mobility In Vogue
Japanese publication Game Makers published the information this past Wednesday, and the good folks at Automaton West were quick to catch on. To get right down to it, the information dropped on January 6, and it regards CESA’s survey of 339 Japanese devs – as well as students and educators, where applicable.
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The research partly concerns average annual household income compared with the prior year: $52,500 USD in conversions. Individual income, for the record, was a bit lower at $42,300 USD. (If any of this sounds low for such positions, it’s worth noting that exact conversions are tricky, as relative costs of living and overall industry standards can be dramatically different across the world.
What stands out here is that 77.9 percent of respondents claimed to have received pay increases year-over-year. Furthermore, 55.2 percent of respondents stated that they’ve swapped their employers at least once. While this might not sound like anything to write home about without context, it’s important to note that, in Japan, this is a pretty dang high number. Traditionally speaking, most employees stick to their company for decades, even their entire careers.
In fact, only 13.6 percent have spent six to nine years at their present company, whilst a comparably high 36 percent have been with theirs for under three years, and another 26 percent, between three and six. It’s good to see some positives here, and hopefully, they’ll continue when CESA publishes their next batch of annual findings.
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