It seems that making some of the most important games of the past 15 years does not save you from capitalism, as a new report from GamesIndustry.biz (opens in new tab) shows that From Software, the studio that developed "The Elden Rings" and "Dark Souls," has low wages and occasional overwork.

Complaints are particularly high in terms of pay. The average annual salary for a Tokyo-based studio is about 3.41 million yen (approximately £205,000 or $245,000), and anonymous FromSoftware employees, according to Numbeo (open in new tab) and a Tokyo rental market survey (open in new tab) (via GI.biz), spend about 4.1 million yen (about £225,000 or $295,000), which is estimated to be "not appropriate" for living in Tokyo.

According to Mercer's 2020 Cost of Living Survey (opens in new tab), the Japanese capital is the third most expensive city in the world.

On the other hand, according to Salary Explorer (opens in new tab), FromSoft has only recently been able to compete with other Japanese developers in terms of salary. While starting salaries in Japanese game development start at an average of 231,000 yen (about 1385 yen/$1660) per month (opens in new tab), FromSoft's open positions started at 220,000 yen (about 1320 yen/$1585) (opens in new tab) until last month, when the studio increased its base salary to 260,. 000 yen (about $1,560/$1,870). While not a huge divergence, it is curious for a studio that is world-renowned and has had a number of major successes. 7]

In addition, some FromSoft employees admit that they have to come in early or work early in the morning to get their work done during the two to three months leading up to a game's release. Some admit that their experience varies from department to department, with some reporting that they rarely worked overtime

and others report that they worked overtime only once a week.

Perhaps worse, however, is that employees report that late-night overtime pay was "half the regular hourly rate." Employees say that this is out of line with other parts of Japan, where "hourly wages are often increased" when working after midnight.

But despite their complaints about pay, several FromSoft employees say they are happy with their time at the company, experiencing satisfaction like they do when they defeat the bosses in Dark Souls. "Making important games like Demon's Souls and The Elden Ring I can't help but think that the people who made them should have a little more money to walk away with. Maybe they can save the satisfaction of defeating a Dark Souls boss for Dark Souls.