Despite a sluggish gaming market last year, the average annual salary of employees at major Korean game companies was found to be close to 100 million won. At some companies, including Krafton, NC, and Pearl Abyss, salaries topped 100 million won, approaching or matching the levels at large corporations and the financial sector, which are traditionally considered "high-salary industries."
According to the 2025 business reports of 10 Korean game companies posted on the Financial Supervisory Service's electronic disclosure system on the 27th, the average salary per employee last year came to about 97 million won. Even though the game industry faced a double bind of slowing growth due to fewer users and intensifying competition, top game companies saw results improve as popular intellectual property (IP) with loyal fan bases continued to perform well. As earnings improved, executive compensation and the average employee salary also increased.
Among Korean game companies, Krafton had the highest average employee annual salary at 129 million won. That was up 18.3% (20 million won) from 109 million won the previous year. Backed by steady growth of its long-running game IP "Battlegrounds," Krafton's revenue topped 3 trillion won last year, and operating profit surpassed 1 trillion won for the second straight year, marking its best results since its founding.
NCSOFT, which changed its name to NC the day before, ranked second at 117 million won, and Pearl Abyss, which recently unveiled the major new title "Crimson Desert," ranked third at 103.41 million won. In NC's case, the company managed to escape losses last year on the back of its flagship IP "Lineage" series and the new title "Aion 2."
They were followed by SHIFT UP (93.924 million won), Kakao Games (90 million won), Wemade (89 million won), NHN (88 million won), Neowiz (88 million won), Netmarble (87 million won), and Com2uS (82 million won).
Compensation for game company employees is also getting closer to the average salaries at large corporations and in the financial sector, both regarded as high-salary fields. According to corporate analysis institute Leaders Index, the average annual salary for employees at large corporations last year was 102.8 million won. The average annual salary for executives and employees at Korea's four major commercial banks—KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, and Woori Bank—was 122.75 million won last year.
It is assessed that, thanks to strong results last year, compensation for management, including CEOs of major game companies, and the average employee salary increased simultaneously. Executive pay was also highest at Krafton. Chief Executive Kim Chang-han of Krafton received a total of 8.04 billion won last year, of which about 7.5 billion won was a bonus (incentive). Jang Tae-seok, the head of the PUBG IP franchise overseeing Krafton's "cash-cow IP" Battlegrounds, received 6.162 billion won, and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Bae Dong-geun received 4.626 billion won.
NC Co-CEO Kim Taek-jin also received 5.31 billion won last year, up about 48% from 3.585 billion won in 2024, when NC posted an annual loss due to worsening results. Netmarble Chairman Bang Jun-hyuk's compensation also exceeded 2 billion won for the first time in about five years, reaching 2.07 billion won last year.
The industry explains that the game sector requires highly skilled talent and that a few hits drive a company's results, leading to performance-based treatment and rewards. Analysts say that because rewards granted to managers and related staff are that much larger when a game succeeds, the average annual salary at game companies that continue to grow on the back of solid IP inevitably rises.