Konami employees to receive third consecutive salary increase

It’s no surprise that a lot of video game enthusiasts don’t hold Konami in as high regard as they used to. Ever since the company announced it would be reducing the amount of console and PC games to focus on pachinko and mobile gaming titles, Konami has more or less fallen out of some people’s radars. While there are a few whose perspectives have shifted somewhat thanks to the announcements of remakes for Silent Hill 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (the first of which is being developed by Polish studio Bloober Team), Konami still has a long way to go when it comes to regaining players’ trust. 

When it comes to its internal affairs, however, Konami employees have a reason to rejoice. On April 8, 2024, Konami announced that it would be implementing yet another salary increase for full-time workers in domestic group companies. In addition to this third consecutive increase, Konami has also stated that it will be increasing the base salaries for new graduates. Konami was quick to add that the company also incorporates contribution-based incentives, prizes, and bonuses on top of base salaries. 

According to an official news release by Konami, these salary increases are being implemented “with the aim of stabilizing employee income and creating a rewarding work environment.” The news release also reveals that the base salary increase for full-time domestic workers will be an additional 5,000 JPY (roughly 32 USD) per month. When combined, this will increase yearly base salaries by 60,000 JPY (around 400 USD). Base salaries for new graduates will also be increased from 295,000 JPY (1,927 USD) to 300,000 JPY (1,960 USD). 

Konami employees will have to wait until March 2025 before they can benefit from this third consecutive salary increase, but the recent previous increase that was announced last November 2023 should have already been implemented last March 2024. While these wage increases don’t necessarily translate to better working conditions, Konami is at least compensating its employees for all their hard work. Hopefully this will all translate to better games in the near future. 

Last month, Capcom announced similar improvements – raising the starting salary for new graduates and giving bonuses and raises to existing staff. Coincidentally, Konami and Capcom saw their game sectors rise in profit in the past year, as opposed to other Japanese giants such as Bandai Namco, Sega and Square Enix, who saw a decline in profits.