The Elden Ring is one of the biggest video game success stories of 2022, but its developer FromSoftware is making headlines amid rumors of a crisis and low wages at its development studio.
The latest title comes from FromSoftware to great critical acclaimAnd it was high quality This is also reflected in the sales graphs. The game has entered the mainstream in a big way, belonging to one of the The greatest game ever released on YouTube.
Unfortunately, like many blockbuster AAA video game titles, it didn’t take long for developer FromSoftware to get little attention, long overtime, and low wages.
The talk began in March, shortly after Elden’s ring was released. first noticed playerIt turns out that some FromSoftware employees went on a job exchange in Japan called functional contact Discuss bad working conditions and low wages.
In context, Career Connection is essentially a Japanese version of Glassdoor, where current or former employees can leave employer reviews to inform potential future candidates about working conditions at the company.
FromSoftware’s remaining ratings on Career Connection range from 2012 to 2019, and FromSoftware has an employee satisfaction rating of 2.6 out of 5 stars. Employee reviews include low workload compensation, 40 monthly overtime hours, no maternity leave and more.
Now, months after people started noticing FromSoftware’s bad health reports, GamesIndustry.biz Check out more stories from FromSoftware employees about what it’s like to work at developer Elden Ring. According to the report, multiple sources said FromSoftware does indeed have “a certain level of polish.”
The extent of the seizure under study appears to vary from ward to ward. A source at GamesIndustry.biz said they hardly have to work overtime.
Another said, “I often had to work early mornings and overtime for two or three months during critical game release periods.”
One source said overtime pay is only half of regular hourly wages, which is different from most Japanese companies, where hourly wages tend to rise in the late hours.
FromSoftware employees have also spoken out about the studio’s low salaries. “Their salary is not enough,” said a source, who added that their colleagues feel the same way. According to Career Connection, the average annual salary for a FromSoftware employee is ¥3.41 million, which is just under $25,000.
It is worth noting that the yen is currently very weak against the dollar, so the direct conversion of yen to US dollars may not fully reflect employee compensation. However, FromSoftware operates in Tokyo, where the cost of living is higher than most other places in Japan.
Even with some negative accounts, other FromSoftware employees said working at the studio was a great experience. One employee even compared it to FromSoftware’s Dark Souls, saying, “It’s very hard to fight to get things right, but when you get over the hump, it’s very satisfying. It’s like beating a boss in Dark Souls.
Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco has announced a pay raise for all of its employees following the success of Elden Ring, so we’ll have to see if FromSoftware follows suit with a pay raise for the game’s developers.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of gaming industry experience, with minor stints at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
