Deus Ex Human Revolution

With all the cost-cutting, layoffs, and other bad financial news in the gaming industry each week, it’s hard to think that a Japanese third-party developer could afford to pay their employees more than any of the “Big 3″ console makers. That is, unless you’re Square Enix, apparently.

As Andriasang reports via salary-tracking company Nensyu Labo, Square Enix’s employee salaries far exceed that of their closet competition, at a whopping 21,680,000 yen average (which is about $271,600 in American dollars) per head. Granted, it’s an average estimate, which likely means that those numbers are thrown into whack by people like Square Enix’s CEO, presidents, and the rest of the highest-paid executives.

Still, the rest of the Japanese gaming industry is nowhere close to Square Enix Holdings. Here’s a quick look at the “Top 10″:

• Square Enix Holdings — 21.68 million yen
• Sony — 9.23 million yen
• Nintendo — 9.14 mllion yen
• Sega Sammy Holdings — 8.22 million yen
• Konami — 6.78 million yen
• Namco Bandi Holdings Inc — 6.4 million yen
• Tecmo Koei Holdings Inc — 6.15 million yen
• Gala — 5.91 million yen
• Capcom — 5.71 million yen
• Yuke’s Co. Ltd — 5.65 million yen

Other Japanese companies bringing up the rear include Hudson (who makes most of its money off of arcade sales), Marvelous AQL, GungHo Online Entertainment, Aeria Games, JRPG developer Nihon Falcom, and Nippon Ichi Software.

In Square Enix’s case, their good fortune is likely the result of a very profitable 2011, which included Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Keep in mind, all of the findings from Nensyu Labo are public record, and likely not a 100-percent accurate representation of where each company stands. Publicly disclosed pay typically doesn’t involve things like discretionary bonuses and other private gifts.

Source: Nensyu Labo