Capcom raising graduate salary in Japan to attract 'exceptional talent'

Capcom plans to raise the base salary for new graduate hires in Japan by around 27 percent to ensure it can acquire "exceptional talent."

The Street Fighter and Resident Evil developer said the wage bump will ensure new recruits earn 300,000 yen ($2,000) per month. That's a significant increase on the current 235,000 yen ($1,570) monthly starting salary.

Capcom will implement the wage hike at the beginning of the 2025 fiscal year. The move comes around two years after the studio raised the average base salary of workers in Japan by 30 percent.

"The Capcom Group is focused on strengthening its capabilities with development and technology in creating world-class quality games in order to enhance sustainable corporate value. To promote its Human Resources investment strategy, one of the Group's highest priorities, since 2022 it has carried out a number of initiatives to invest in its people," said Capcom in a notice to investors.

"These have included a reorganization of its Human Resources operations and the establishment of a Chief Human Resources Officer, an average base-salary increase of 30 percent, the introduction of a bonus system more closely linked to the company's business performance, and the introduction of an employee stock-based compensation system."

Further raises for Capcom workers

Capcom intends to raise salaries by over 5 percent on average in the 2024 fiscal year, which begins in April. The company will also provide current employees and new staff that join in the upcoming fiscal year with a one-time "special payment" it describes as an  "investment in the people who support the future of the company."

Right now, it seems like Capcom is on solid footing. The company has seen consolidated net sales increase by 33.3 percent year-on-year to 106.1 billion yen over the past nine months, with sales of Street Fighter 6 and Resident Evil 4 driving earnings within its Digital Contents business.