What does it take to get a job with Nintendo? What is it like working at Nintendo? ACR takes a look:
About Nintendo
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was introduced in 1985. Within two years, NES had sold more than 60 million units. In 1989, the company introduced Game Boy, which has sold more than 150 million systems worldwide. According to the company website, Game Boy is the most successful video game system ever released. In the years following Game Boys introduction, Nintendo released Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1991, 49 million systems sold worldwide), Nintendo 64 (1996, millions sold worldwide), Game Boy Pocket (1996), Game Boy Advance, (2001), tens of millions of units sold), Nintendo GameCube (2011), Game Boy Advance (2003), Nintendo DS (2004), Nintendo DS Lite (2006), and Wii (2006). According to the Nintendo website, Wii is the best-selling latest generation console system in the world.
The list of video games produced by Nintendo for Nintendo systems is endless. Some of the most popular include Spider-Man, Super Mario, Pokemon Rumble Blast, Mind Gym, Nicktoons MLB, and Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet. The site lists well over 2,000 games, divided by system.
Nintendo has locations in 20 countries throughout the Asia Pacific region, the Americas, and Europe. The company has more than 3,400 employees and according to Fortune Magazine, in 2007, each employee generated $2.5 million in revenues. Nintendo of America Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nintendo Co. Ltd. (NCL), Kyoto, Japan.
Nintendo Jobs
As of August 28, 2011, the company did not have any openings for game developers. However, the company did offer advice on how to get your foot in the door should an opportunity become available. According to the company website, good subjects to study include art, graphic design, and computer science. The site even advises potential developers to check out DigiPen Applied Computer Graphics School in Redmond, Washington.
Most (not all) of the company’s game development takes place in Japan, so when a job does become available, the competition is stiff. To search for current openings, go to nintendo.com and click “Company Info” at the bottom of the page. This will take you to the corporate information page where you can select “Jobs” and begin your search.
Nintendo Salaries
Salaries for Nintendo employees vary depending on specialization and position, but they are competitive within the industry. The following are salary ranges for various positions within the company. This information was provided by Glassdoor.com.
- Game Designer: $68,000-$74,000
- Senior Artist: $56,000-$60,000
- Software Engineer: $90,000-$95,000
- Senior Director: $156,000-$168,000
- Internet Developer: $78,000-$83,000
- Senior Programmer: $88,000-$96,000
Game Developer Magazine, a San Francisco-based print publication serving more than 30,000 professional game developers, conducts an annual industry-wide salary survey. According to the survey, programmers in the gaming industry average $85,733 per year and game designers average $70,223. Art & animation professionals average $71,354 per year while production workers earn $88,544. Sound designers average $68,088 per year while business and legal professionals average one of the highest salaries in the industry at $106,452 per year.