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A recent survey has revealed positive financial trends for Japanese game developers, with the vast majority reporting higher income compared to the previous year.
The Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association (CESA) released its “Game Developer Employment and Career Formation 2025” report on January 6, 2026. The findings come from a survey conducted at last year’s CEDEC (Computer Entertainment Developers Conference), which gathered responses from 339 people working in commercial game development, education, and university students studying in the field.
The data shows that nearly 78% of game developers reported an increase in their annual income between 2023 and 2024. The average yearly household income for developers during this period was approximately 8.3 million yen (around $52,500 USD), while individual income averaged about 6.7 million yen (roughly $42,300 USD).
The income increases varied across respondents. About 19.5% saw their pay jump by more than 20%, while 14.5% experienced increases above 10%. Another 18.6% reported raises of more than 5%, and 25.4% saw modest gains between 0-5%.
The survey also highlighted what CESA describes as “high workforce mobility” within Japan’s game industry. More than half of the developers surveyed (55.2%) said they have changed employers at some point in their careers, a notable figure considering that job switching is traditionally less common in Japan than in countries like the United States.
When looking at how long developers stay with their current employers, the data shows relatively short tenures for many. About 36% of respondents have been at their current company for three years or less, while 26% have been there between three and six years. Another 13.6% reported working at their current company for six to nine years.
