Sega Is Giving Its Employees Significant Raises

2023 has seen mass layoffs in tech and gaming sectors, but over at Sega, the house of Sonic has announced a 30% salary increase for employees, beginning in July. Sega says that the increase is part of its strategy to “invest in human resources” so that it can create a more comfortable working environment.

“We will continue our efforts to realize a system that allows our employees to grow while realizing diverse work styles, and to provide further experiences that move the heart globally,” Sega said in a statement. According to the game publisher and developer, this increase will see starting monthly salaries rise 35% in total from $1,634 to $2,228. On an annual salary basis, the average increase rate will work out to a 15% increase across the company, Sega added.

This announcement comes shortly after Nintendo confirmed that it will pay its workers 10% more, as Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida urged companies to increase salaries to offset the rising cost of living due to inflation. Sega’s ability to offer a hefty salary increase comes in the wake of its latest big-budget game, Sonic Frontiers, exceeding the company’s expectations.

“The number of units sold greatly exceeded the full-year plan at the beginning of the fiscal year, and we recognize that this is a title that we will continue to sell over the long term based on our sales strategies, such as pricing, promotions and the development of free DLC,” Sega executives said in an investor’s Q&A earlier this month (via Tails Channel).

Looking ahead, Sega has several projects in development. Like a Dragon: Ishin releases later this month, Company of Heroes 3 is being published by the company, and a new mobile game being led by Nier Automata’s writer-director Yoko Taro has a very weird plot involving sentient Sega games and a corrupt version of the company that has taken over the world.