An ex-Nintendo employee has nothing but praise for the company, despite describing it as ‘hell’ for less gifted developers.
Even in the West, it’s rare to get much of an insight into how game developers work and what it’s like behind the scenes in their offices. With Nintendo it’s completely unheard of, but one former employee has chosen to reveal all and… it all sounds pretty positive.
Miura Koichi is a 45-year-old freelance computer graphics designer, who’s previously worked at Bandai Namco and Square Enix – so he knows the business well. He joined Nintendo as a freelancer in 2019 but quit earlier this year to become a YouTuber and freelance designer.
Earlier in the month he shared a tweet that went viral in Japan, in which he stated: ‘Nintendo is an incredible company, but I wouldn’t lightly recommend it to others. It was like a haven for geniuses and superhumans, but for an average person like me, it was hell.’
‘However, thanks to this, I was able to realise that I wasn’t suited for the role and found the confidence I needed to pursue other goals. This was the biggest accomplishment that working for Nintendo brought me,’ he added.
‘I don’t have a single regret for having aspired to work there, getting the job, and then ultimately quitting it,’ he said, as translated by Automaton.
Despite his self-depreciating comments, he tried to make it clear that he was praising Nintendo, not criticising them, and described it and its employees as ‘wonderful’ and the experience of working there as one he was very grateful for.
It’s not clear how Nintendo view his comments, but Koichi also went against convention by revealing how much he was paid at his previous jobs, something that is frowned upon in Japan.
He was on the equivalent of less than $40,000 (£32K) at Bandai Namco, more than $46,000 (£37K) at Square Enix, and then more than $70,000 (£56K) at Nintendo. You would have expected his salary to rise anyway, as he gained more experience, but the implication is that Nintendo are relatively generous with their wages.
Working at Nintendo is a goal of many developers in Japan but despite his long years of experience, working on games ranging from Ridge Racer 5 to Kingdom Hearts 3, it’s interesting that Koichi still felt outclassed.
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