Nintendo Trails Sony in Pay, Overtime, and Worker Satisfaction, Data Shows

Nintendo ranked fifth out of seven major Japanese game companies in average yearly income and posted nearly 10 hours more monthly overtime than industry leader Sony Interactive Entertainment, according to user-submitted data compiled by OpenMoney.

The figures, summarized in English by Automaton West, placed Nintendo's average yearly income at 7.64 million JPY (about $48k USD) with average monthly overtime of 27.2 hours and an employee satisfaction score of 3.48 out of 5. Sony Interactive Entertainment topped the ranking on all three favorable measures: 9.94 million JPY (about $63k USD) in average yearly income, just 17.6 hours of monthly overtime, and a satisfaction score of 3.85.

The gap between Nintendo and SIE is set to widen. Sony Interactive Entertainment announced it will raise starting salaries in Japan beginning in April 2026, with monthly wages rising between $350 and $430. Automaton West described the increase as record-breaking and noted it would likely boost Sony's competitiveness as an employer even further.

Capcom came in second at 8.40 million JPY (about $53k USD) with 20 hours of monthly overtime and a 3.83 satisfaction score, followed closely by SEGA at 8.10 million JPY, 23.5 hours of overtime, and a 3.52 satisfaction rating. Bandai Namco Entertainment placed fourth in income at 7.95 million JPY but carried the heaviest overtime load in the dataset at 28.3 hours per month, while simultaneously posting the highest satisfaction score of any company: 3.89. Automaton West flagged that pairing as "another curious detail."

Below Nintendo, Konami Digital Entertainment averaged 7.11 million JPY (about $45k USD), 24.2 hours of monthly overtime, and a satisfaction score of 2.83. Square Enix ranked last in both income (6.87 million JPY, about $43k USD) and satisfaction (2.77), though its 19.0 hours of monthly overtime placed it second-lowest in the group, just above SIE.

OpenMoney describes itself as a service that provides information on working conditions in Japanese companies based on user data, meaning the figures reflect self-reported submissions rather than employer disclosures. Sample sizes, collection periods, and whether the income figures represent mean or median values were not specified in the published summary. Whether "average yearly income" includes bonuses and allowances, or covers base salary only, also remains unconfirmed. Those methodological gaps matter when reading Nintendo's 3.48 satisfaction score, for instance, which sits 0.41 points below Bandai Namco's and 0.37 below SIE's.

For Nintendo, the data arrives at an awkward moment. The company is preparing to launch the Nintendo Switch 2 in the coming months, a period that historically correlates with intensified development timelines. If the 27.2-hour monthly overtime figure reflects conditions during a normal reporting window, crunch periods could push that number higher. Nintendo has not issued any public response to the OpenMoney figures.