Amid multiple controversies in the world of video games, Japanese game publisher, Capcom has some positive news to share with its employees. The publisher is taking steps to revise its compensation system resulting in higher salaries for Capcom employees. The company also states that they are making efforts to “promote strategic investment in its personnel.”
This news comes from Capcom’s Investor Relations website ahead of the company's incoming 2021 fiscal year results in May. After a year of successful releases, including the critically acclaimed Resident Evil Village, Monster Hunter Rise, and Monster Hunter Stories 2, Capcom expects to report record profits for the fifth consecutive year. This is no surprise as May’s Resident Evil Village has sold 5.7 million copies, while Monster Hunter Rise has surpassed 7.7 million copies sold on Switch alone.
Capcom’s mission statement today is twofold, the first states, “Reorganizing of Human Resources Operations and Establishment of Chief Human Resources Officer.” The newly established Chief Human Resources Officer (CHO) will better facilitate communication between Capcom employees and various HR departments. These departments include R&D Human Resources, People Strategy Team, Human Resources, and Health and Productivity Management. Capcom's second planned change is a revised compensation system with an average 30% salary increase and a bonus system tied to the company’s business performance. Given Capcom’s stellar fiscal year, employees could expect to see some nice pay increases in the future.
Capcom’s intent with its HR restructuring and wage increases is to invest in the employees that have helped Capcom reach new heights in recent years. February’s countdown, which revealed a new Capcom title, excited many fans and fueled speculation about which Capcom IP was receiving a game next. Fans are excited about new games from Capcom, and in recent years it has been rare to see a Capcom game that wasn't a commercial or critical success in some capacity. With the company in such a positive light among fans and critics, Capcom would like to double down on the individuals that worked to make these games possible. The company states, “Capcom will work to address the issues facing our society while aiming to improve its corporate value and establishing a relationship of trust with employees and stakeholders.”
In addition to Capcom, Bandai Namco is another notable Japanese game publisher that has recently taken similar steps in bumping wages for its employees. Bandai Namco has a new starting salary of 290,000 yen, a 58,000 yen increase over the previous 232,000 yen. While a number of development studios are grappling with allegations of workplace harassment and publishers such as Activision are clashing with calls for unionization, it is refreshing to see some companies taking action and tangibly improving the workplace conditions and livelihood of employees.
Source: Capcom Corporate