Persona developer Atlus has announced it will raise the base salaries of all staff members by 15% in April 2024, to ensure it can attract the best global talent for its games, while also rewarding employees. In addition, it has announced it will raise the base salary of student graduates by 300,000 yen (AUD $3,066) in an effort to entice more young developers into the business.
A press release translated by Google (via Game Developer) outlines company plans to expand by attracting and retaining strong talent, and fostering an environment of growth and support, where “where employees can perform to the best of their ability” with reduced financial stress.
“The starting salary for new graduates will increase from 257,000 yen to 300,000 yen, and the average annual salary for current employees will increase by 15 percent,” Atlus said. “Additionally, due to strong overseas business development starting in fiscal 2021, we will be paying performance bonuses funded by worldwide profits.”
Per Atlus, the company has grown considerably over the last few years, thanks to the worldwide success of recent titles like Persona 5, and re-releases of its most popular games. A “major revision” to its salary structure is a means to thank developers for their work, increase loyalty within the company, and encourage more ambitious projects in future.
Read: Persona 5 Tactica Review – Going All-out
In a year filled with layoffs, where companies are cutting jobs at a rapid rate, sometimes even despite record profits and game sales, Atlus’ announcement is refreshing. It’s rare that a company acknowledges and rewards the good work of its employees – and even rarer that good company performance leads directly to employee benefits.
But as Atlus has seemingly realised, its employees have contributed greatly to its success – and by fostering a warmer environment where progress and good work is rewarded, it can potentially grow its sales, while also creating a more dedicated team, buoyed by management’s faith.
As Game Developer noted, this is the second salary increase implemented by Atlus in 2023. Earlier in the year, the company increased all staff salaries by 5% – with the newly-announced 15% rise coming in addition to this revision.
Atlus hopes the changes will boost moral within its existing teams, while also providing a stronger incentive for global game developers who may wish to transition to working in Japan.
