I am not moving soon, just weighing my options for the future.
I have been a web developer for around 3-4 years total and am looking to switch to game dev. I’m currently building up my gamedev portfolio with Unreal engine.
I am currently N3 and studying.
I have heard a lot of horror stories about the industry in general and about Japan too. However I’m fairly certain that at least a few decent companies exist. ( people who have it tough are more likely to speak online and all that).
My definition of “decent company”:
1) liveable non-minimum wage salary (I don’t expect to get rich but I expect to be able to actually live)
2) good WLB in general. I don’t mind putting extra hours if there is a critical issue or “the servers are on fire” (not literally). However, this must not be the norm.
3) takes care of employees. For example, if someone’s wife got hospitalized (god forbid), they aren’t chained under “the company needs you”.
Another example: being actually able to use your paid timeoff.
Basically treats employees as humans rather than slaves.
4) Does little to no cash-grab games. (Don’t really care if they do tbh as long as I’m not the one toiling on them)
With that in mind, my questions are:
1) aside from the big guys (namco, square, kojima, capcom), what are some companies that are decent?
2) what is a rough ball-park salary for such a gameplay programmers nowadays? I have seen posts advertising 4-4.5m but I’m not sure if that is high or low compared to others and also unsure if it is enough in Tokyo. Especially given the current inflation issues.
3) work life balance?
4) anything else I should keep in mind?
Thanks in advance!
3 comments
No matter what you ultimately end up doing, you’ll likely find it much easier to get a job as a web dev in Japan first. With your experience (assuming you have a bachelor’s degree) you should be able to get a decent paying job with good working conditions.
Then you can make this change to game dev from within the country.
– You’ll be able to interview in much more places
– You’ll be able to get a much better sense of what companies are out there
– You’ll be able to network and hopefully get referrals
– You’ll be able to get a feel for working life in Japan which will better inform how you choose where to apply for game dev work
– You won’t have the “I just want to get to Japan however I can” impulse clouding your judgement.
– And who knows, you might hate living and working in Japan – at least this way your career trajectory stays intact, and you won’t have also taken quite as massive a paycut.
Sorry, I recognise this doesn’t actually answer your question! 😅
I wouldn’t wish being a game dev in Japan on anyone except my worst enemies.
I knew a guy who did it and it was life-killing. The only people who seem to stick with it are the most freakish of the freaks, the weirdest of the weird.
Playco or LINE maybe.
Both can pay far more than 4M (More like 6-12 probably). Work-life balance will depend on team but can be pretty good.
What I’d do: find a more general position (front-end etc) at one of the better product companies in Japan ( check [this site](https://japan-dev.com) ) known to have good WLB and help with relocation.
Then once you’re established in Japan you can think about moving to a gaming company.
There are too few options otherwise. And it’s too hard to vet them properly from abroad.