We continue to publish the results of our salary survey, conducted from April to May 2023, by chapters. This current publication focuses on the average salary level of gaming industry specialists in Russia.
But first, we remind you that we are currently conducting a new salary survey. With its help, we are gathering up-to-date data on the salary situation among Russian-speaking and Russian specialists. You can take it here:
Let's start with the distribution of the received questionnaires by fields of activity.
Here we'll note which specialties are absent from the chart (i.e., who has disappeared from Russia after relocation). There's no presence of those engaged in Business Development and Community & Support. The share of both fields has fallen below 1%. Plus, there's little management.
Now, let's look at the chart illustrating the distribution of specialists by professional level. It is necessary to compare the chart of all Russian-speaking specialists with those who are in Russia.
Here we see that there is a smaller share of C-level, Lead, Head, and Senior specialists in Russia. This serves as additional (albeit indirect, since we are comparing the overall situation with the regional one) confirmation of our thesis that relocation in the gaming industry primarily affects key and most experienced specialists.
If we compare the age distribution of all Russian-speaking gaming specialists with those residing in Russia, we can see:
- there are currently fewer specialists aged 25-34 in Russia than in the overall Russian-speaking industry;
- however, there are significantly more specialists aged 18-24 and slightly more aged 35-44.
This brings us back to the previously expressed thesis that the largest percentage of specialists remaining in Russia are those who are younger and those who are older.
Now, let's touch a bit on the subject of money.
The average monthly spending level of gaming specialists living in Russia is quite low compared to the regions where other Russian-speaking specialists reside. It amounts to $815. If we talk about the median value, it's even less—$700.
Gaming specialists living in Russia generally note that they require a monthly income of just over $3,000 for a comfortable life. The median value turned out to be lower—$2,500.
22.5% of gaming specialists still living in Russia receive a salary of $1,000 to $1,500. Also, a significant portion of game developers earn between $1,500 and $2,500 monthly. They make up 31.5%.
Nearly a quarter of specialists employed in the Russian-speaking gaming industry living in Russia earn less than $1,000. Meanwhile, the average salary of a game developer in Russia is $1,833, with its median value being $1,700.
Regarding levels of satisfaction, most game developers working in Russia are content with their jobs and working conditions. However, nearly half (47.5%) of specialists indicate dissatisfaction with the salary levels. A considerable portion of respondents (43.6%) also expressed concerns about future growth prospects within their current places of employment.
Methodology
The research is the result of the third salary survey among Russian-speaking representatives of the gaming industry. The survey was conducted by WN Media Group from April to May 2023. It was carried out via voluntary questionnaires (users independently filled out a publicly distributed questionnaire with questions).
During the survey, 1,004 completed questionnaires were received. Of these, 472 questionnaires were from specialists located in Russia.
Since the data were collected a year and a half ago, they may be outdated. However, we believe that they accurately reflect the overall situation.