Persona Developer Atlus Announces Major Salary Increases for Employees
Japanese video game developer Atlus has officially announced a significant revision to its compensation system to increase wages across the company.
The new salary structure will officially take effect for all full-time and contract employees starting in April 2026.
Atlus is a highly respected studio famous for creating critically acclaimed role-playing games that feature deep narratives and challenging turn-based combat.
The company was originally founded in 1986 and has since built a massive global fanbase through iconic franchises like Shin Megami Tensei and Etrian Odyssey.
Their wildly popular Persona series has become a worldwide phenomenon, blending supernatural dungeon crawling with everyday high school social simulation.
The studio also achieved massive success with the 2024 launch of its original fantasy epic, Metaphor: ReFantazio.
To continue delivering these moving gaming experiences, the company recognizes that investing heavily in human resources is absolutely essential.
The leadership team aims to improve overall productivity and foster an environment where employee creativity can truly thrive.
These wage adjustments are designed to provide staff with a stable living environment amidst fluctuating external economic factors like inflation and rising consumer prices.
Under the revised system, the average annual salary for existing full-time and contract workers will see a substantial 15 percent increase.
The starting monthly salary for new university graduates joining the studio will also be raised from 300,000 yen to 330,050 yen (approx. £1,735 GBP / $2,200 USD).
This new starting wage includes a base pay of 282,900 yen (approx. £1,485 GBP / $1,885 USD) alongside a fixed overtime allowance.
The company is actively improving the work-life balance of its staff by restructuring how this fixed overtime is calculated.
The mandatory fixed overtime hours built into the contracts have been reduced from 30 hours down to just 20 hours per month.
This specific change effectively increases the ratio of the base salary, ensuring that employees are compensated more fairly for their standard working hours.
Atlus hopes that balancing a discretionary work style with stable financial treatment will empower its developers to create even better games.
The studio remains committed to its core value of being unique and universal as it strives to be a top-tier role-playing game manufacturer on the global stage.
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