Elden Ring Devs Pay Lower than Average

The developers of Elden Ring, FromSoftware, is a popular video game company that rose to popularity even more due to the release of Elden Ring. Elden ring sales went through the roof when it was released on February 25, 2022.

Like any RPG game, Elden Ring classes offer players a variety of play styles to choose from. Furthermore, staying true to the Soulsborne genre made popular by FromSoftware Inc., Elden Ring is an RPG with an insane level of difficulty for newcomers. With its massive world setting and amazing open-world experience, Elden Ring offers a unique experience that others simply cannot match. 

Elden Ring is not the only game that made FromSoftware rise to popularity. The Dark Souls series and Bloodborne were both top-tier games that were critically acclaimed. It is not an understatement that FromSoftware is a massive success in terms of its game releases in the industry. The success of the video game company made the topic of this article even more baffling to the community. 

GamesIndustry.biz conducted an investigation that links to FromSoftware and its employees. FromSoftware does not allow any of its staff, both past hires and present hires, to give interviews.

GamesIndustry conducted interviews anonymously with current and former players of the studio, and they discovered that the employees’ salary was less than ideal. FromSoftware’s employees reportedly expressed their disappointment and dissatisfaction regarding the compensation they receive from the company. 

According to the interviews, employees were reportedly dissatisfied with FromSoftware’s overtime policy and low salary. One employee stated that the late-night overtime pay was less than the usual hourly rate, which is strange because Japan has higher hourly wages after midnight.

Not all departments, however, have the same experience to some degree. When game releases approached, the incident was more than common. It has been going on for many years in the industry. 

Despite the massive success the company has enjoyed over the years, FromSoftware is relatively small with only 349 employees as of May 2022. According to an analysis made by GamesIndustry, FromSoftware’s currently open job listings offer less than the average pay in the industry. To give context, it is stated that the average yearly salary of an employee working for FromSoftware earns ¥3.41 million while an employee from Atlus earns ¥5.2 million yearly. 

This is a significant difference especially when the two companies are fairly similar in size. Additionally, the cost of living in Tokyo is roughly ¥138,984 monthly coupled with an average monthly rent of about ¥203,730. These numbers alone can indicate that employees working for FromSoftware might be struggling to live comfortably. 

Despite all the negativities regarding salaries, employees of the company still described working for FromSoftware to be worthwhile. Some likened the struggles they face to the experience the players feel when defeating a boss in Dark Souls. FromSoftware currently remains quiet regarding the allegations of the publication.