Gaming
Mario would earn £32,895 as an Italian plumber – which video game characters would be the richest if they had real-life jobs?
- At the top of the rich list is Borderland’s corporate president ‘Handsome Jack’ with an equally handsome salary of £333,043 per year.
- Super Mario ranks among the lowest earners, taking home £32,895 per year on a typical plumber’s salary in Italy.
- Pac-Man earns the lowest salary of all characters as a security guard in Japan, bringing in just £15,916 per year.
From Super Mario to Lara Croft, have you ever wondered where your favorite video game protagonists and villains would rank in the real-world job market?
Online gaming platform Solitaired looked at some of the world’s most iconic video game characters and calculated how much each would earn if they landed their real-world dream job. They based character earnings on data from salary comparison sites as well as publicly available pay bands to find an average yearly salary for more than 50 video game characters.
Video Games’ Highest Earners
- Handsome Jack, Borderlands 2
At the top spot is Borderland’s narcissistic bad-guy, Handsome Jack, who would take home an eye watering £333,043 per year as a corporate CEO. While Hyperion Corp is fortunately yet to be founded, it seems only fitting that as the fictional president of an intergalactic weapons manufacturer and supplier, Jack would take home such a huge paycheck.
- Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid
In at second place is Metal Gear Solid’s eye-patch sporting Solid Snake, who would take home an impressive salary of £107,517 per year as a Special Forces Soldier for the US Army. Snake, who boasts an impressive military career, was initially inducted into the Green Berets during his teenage years before later joining Big Boss’ special forces unit, FOXHOUND, meaning he would be substantially compensated for his acquired specialist skills.
- Albert Wesker, Resident Evil
In third place is Resident Evil’s Albert Wesker, who would earn a salary of £90,519 per year as a virologist. Having graduated at 17 with a doctorate in Virology, Wesker originally began his training with Umbrella Pharmaceuticals and was later transferred to the Arklay Laboratory as a senior researcher working on the t-Virus project, following the disbanding of his training school.
- Alex Mason, Call of Duty
In fourth place is Call of Duty veteran and fan favorite, Alex Mason. Mason is unlikely to have trouble remembering these numbers, as he stacks up an impressive £82,317 per year as an Intelligence Analyst for the CIA. Mason, who makes his first appearance as the main playable character in Call of Duty: Black Ops, joined the CIA Operation 40 squad in 1958 and continued to carry out several missions for the CIA despite his imprisonment and brainwashing at Vorkuta.
- Max Payne, Max Payne
In fifth place is the titular action avenger Max Payne, who would earn £75,922 per year as a police detective in New York City. Payne began his police career in the 1990s, working for the NYPD as a detective before joining DEA colleague Alex Balder on the Valkyr drug case, following the brutal murder of his wife and daughter in 1998.
The 20 Highest Earning Video Game Characters
| Rank | Video Game Character | Video Game | Job/Occupation | Yearly Salary (£) | Yearly Salary ($) |
| 1. | Handsome Jack | Borderlands 2 | CEO | £333,043 | $432,524 |
| 2. | Solid Snake | Metal Gear Solid | Special Forces Soldier | £107,517 | $139,632 |
| 3. | Albert Wesker | Resident Evil | Virologist | £90,519 | $117,557 |
| 4. | Alex Mason | Call of Duty | CIA Operative | £82,317 | $106,905 |
| 5. | Max Payne | Max Payne | NYPD Detective | £75,922 | $98,600 |
| 6. | Cole Phelps | LA Noire | LAPD Detective | £71,846 | $93,306 |
| 7. | Gordon Freeman | Half-Life | Research Associate Scientist | £70,145 | $91,097 |
| 8. | Arthur Morgan | Red Dead Redemption 2 | Bounty Hunter | £69,750 | $90,585 |
| 9. | Mortimer Goth | The Sims | Scientist | £69,076 | $89,709 |
| 10. | Isaac Clarke | Dead Space | Engineer | £64,859 | $84,232 |
| 11. | Duke Nukem | Duke Nukem | CIA Special Agent | £62,837 | $81,607 |
| 12. | CJ Johnson | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Entrepreneur | £59,626 | $77,436 |
| 13. | Bella Goth | The Sims | Intelligence Researcher | £58,363 | $75,796 |
| 14. | Michael De Santa | Grand Theft Auto V | Film Producer | £54,563 | $70,861 |
| 15. | Leon S Kennedy | Resident Evil | Police Officer | £54,113 | $70,276 |
| 16. | Homer Simpson | Simpson’s Hit and Run | Nuclear Technician | £53,629 | $69,648 |
| 17. | Master Chief | Halo | Master Chief Petty Officer | £53,491 | $69,469 |
| 18. | Doom Slayer | Doom | Marine’s Master Gunnery Sergeant | £53,490 | $69,468 |
| 19. | Sam Fisher | Splinter Cell | Navy Seal | £48,729 | $63,284 |
| 20. | Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine | Resident Evil | SWAT Team Member | £48,158 | $62,543 |
Video Games’ Lowest Earners
- Pac-Man, Pac-Man
At the bottom of the list, Pac-Man take the spot as the lowest earner, with a salary of just £15,916 per year as a security guard in Japan – where the character first debuted. While the creators don’t specify that Pac-Man has a job per se, the role seems fitting given the Namco classic shows the yellow sprite navigating through mazes trying to get rid of unwanted ghost intruders.
- Link, Legend of Zelda
Second from the bottom is Legend of Zelda’s hero and protagonist, Link, who would earn only £19,661 per year as a knight – if the job were to still exist. A knight was paid an average of two shillings per day during the 1200s, which means that Link would take home just over £19k when taking into consideration currency conversions and increases in inflation.
- Cloud Strife, Final Fantasy VII
The third lowest earner is Cloud Strife from the Final Fantasy series who would earn £19,964 per year as a Private First-Class Soldier in the US Army. Cloud was unsuccessful in joining SOLDIER, instead becoming a Shinra infantryman, hence justifying the lower pay band for our sword wielding fighter.
- Desmond Miles, Assassin’s Creed
As the fourth lowest earner in the list, Assassin’s Creed’s modern day main character, Desmond Miles, would earn just £21,408 per year as a bartender in New York City. Desmond, who is the descendant of a long line of assassins, used his training to hitchhike to New York City, where he worked as a bartender at Bad Weather before his eventual capture.
- Ryu, Street Fighter
At fifth from the bottom is the main character of the Street Fighter series, Ryu, who would bring home just £21,723 as a martial arts instructor in Japan. Ryu made his first appearance in Capcom’s original Street Fighter game in 1987, and while his name roughly translates to ‘plentiful’ in Japanese, the same cannot be said for his expected salary.
The 20 Lowest Earning Video Game Characters
| Rank | Video Game Character | Video Game | Job/Occupation | Yearly Salary (£) | Yearly Salary ($) |
| 1 | Pac-Man | Pac-Man | Security Guard | £15,916 | $20,670 |
| 2 | Link | Legend of Zelda | Knight | £19,661 | $25,533 |
| 3 | Cloud Strife | Final Fantasy | Private First-Class Soldier | £19,964 | $25,927 |
| 4 | Desmond Miles | Assassin’s Creed | Bartender | £21,408 | $27,802 |
| 5 | Ryu | Street Fighter | Martial Arts Instructor | £21,723 | $28,212 |
| 6 | Marcus Fenix | Gears of War | Army Sergeant | £24,119 | $31,324 |
| 7 | Don Lothario | The Sims | Medical Intern | £24,784 | $32,187 |
| 8 | Geralt of Rivia | The Witcher | Pest Controller | £24,906 | $32,345 |
| 9 | Niko Bellic | Grand Theft Auto IV | Taxi Driver | £25,521 | $33,144 |
| 10 | Lightning | Final Fantasy | Security Guard | £29,084 | $37,771 |
| 11 | Crash Bandicoot | Crash Bandicoot | Bodyguard | £29,670 | $38,533 |
| 12 | John Marston | Red Dead Redemption | Rancher | £32,770 | $42,559 |
| 13 | Mario | Super Mario Bros | Plumber | £32,895 | $42,721 |
| 14 | Tom Nook | Animal Crossing | Real Estate Agent | £33,812 | $43,912 |
| 15 | Isabelle | Animal Crossing | Secretary | £34,071 | $44,248 |
| 16 | Freddy Fazbear | Five Nights at Freddy’s | Mascot | £35,078 | $45,556 |
| 17 | Captain John ‘Soap’ MacTavish | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Army Sergeant | £35,953 | $46,692 |
| 18 | Booker DeWitt | Bioshock Infinite | Private Investigator | £36,000 | $46,753 |
| 19 | Spyro | Spyro the Dragon | Jeweler | £36,516 | $47,424 |
| 20 | Sonic the Hedgehog | Sonic the Hedgehog | Professional Athlete | £36,592 | $47,522 |
Honorable Mentions
Some character earnings meant that they ranked elsewhere in the list, however some are so iconic that it would be a shame to miss them out entirely.
Given Super Mario’s Italian heritage, he would earn a salary of £32,895 working as a plumber in Italy, ranking him 41st in the list. Elsewhere in Europe, Tomb Raider’s female lead Lara Croft ranks 27th, earning a salary of £41,998 working as a British archaeologist.
While Sonic the Hedgehog isn’t currently on the job hunt, based on his ability to run at supersonic speeds, it is only fitting that he would earn a salary of £36,592 as a professional athlete. Although he may have to wait a few years before he is eligible to earn, as the creators suggest he is only 15 years old.
Pokémon’s Pikachu would be perfectly suited to a job as a detective given his latest movie role, earning him £37,282 per year – although considering his element type, he would also make for a great electrician. His trainer and best friend, Ash Ketchum, would just top Pikachu’s earnings, taking home £41,327 as a Research Fellow for Professor Cerise.
The globally operating software company 4Players GmbH announces its partnership with MADFINGER Games, the developer behind the highly anticipated tactical first-person shooter Gray Zone Warfare. The collaboration aims to level up in-game communication by integrating 4Players’ next generation Voice Chat SDK, ODIN, into MADFINGER Games’ upcoming title.
MADFINGER Games’ goal is to create a complex and realistic gaming experience that allows players to embark on an adventure alone or in a team. To ensure excellent communication during tactical approaches, ODIN was the best choice for MADFINGER Games’ Technical Director Johanny Clerc-Renaud:
“Selecting ODIN as the voice chat in our upcoming title, Gray Zone Warfare, was a pivotal decision driven by both technical and business considerations. Technically, ODIN ticks a lot of our criteria with its support for spatial audio, a ready-to-deploy Unreal Engine 5 plugin and the ability to meet any player load thanks to their cloud hosting.
From a business perspective, the agility and openness of partnering with a company like 4Players meant we could work hand-in-hand to tailor the solution to our specific needs. This includes a seamless integration with Wwise, allowing us to modulate voice data for a more immersive and engaging player experience. Together, these factors made ODIN the undeniable choice for Gray Zone Warfare, enabling us to make our game even more memorable.”
By natively integrating ODIN Voice Chat into Unreal Engine 5, MADFINGER Games’ developers could focus on creating ultra-realistic game content instead of managing complex data sets. By leveraging ODIN’s scalable cloud hosting, MADFINGER Games can also ensure seamless service delivery to players worldwide, improving accessibility and the gaming experience.
With features such as real-time 3D spatial audio – including audio occlusion and ambient effects – for the global voice chat as well as full-volume radio communication, ODIN sets a new standard for multiplayer engagement and promotes immersive and crystal-clear interactions between players. This level of immersive communication not only enhances gameplay, but also strengthens the social fabric in the gaming community.
“ODIN represents the future of in-game communication. We combine cutting-edge technology with decades of expertise in the gaming industry to create a product that is fun and designed to improve gamers’ communication,” says Phillip Schuster, CEO at 4Players GmbH. “We are excited to be working with MADFINGER Games to further optimize the immersion of Gray Zone Warfare. The partnership highlights our shared goal of driving social interaction and creating a unique gaming experience.”With the release of Gray Zone Warfare for Early Access on 30th April 2024, players will experience unparalleled realistic gaming communication with ODIN.
The post 4Players and ODIN deliver cutting-edge voice chat for Gray Zone Warfare appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Gaming
Phoenix Games acquires PopReach Games along with its impressive games portfolio and over 100 employees
Phoenix Games, a global gaming enterprise specializing in the acquisition and enhancement of game studios, is thrilled to announce the acquisition of PopReach Games, a live operations studio based in Bengaluru, India, from Ionik for a total aggregate purchase price of up to US$9.8 million, financed from cash reserves. Together with the studio, Phoenix takes over a broad portfolio of free-to-play games that boasts more than 420 million lifetime downloads.
This transaction substantially diversifies the Phoenix portfolio by including globally recognized IPs and beloved free-to-play titles on different platforms, such as Smurf’s Village, Smurf’s Magic Match, Gardens of Time, Kitchen Scramble games, Kingdoms of Camelot, and War of Nations as well as the Brain Training app Peak..
The acquisition of PopReach Games India strengthens Phoenix Games’ global presence and adds a dedicated workforce of more than 100 employees from the Indian studio.
“The acquisition of PopReach Games signifies a remarkable enhancement of our portfolio, introducing not just a team of 100 passionate professionals but also a suite of globally acclaimed IPs and games that continue to captivate millions,” states Klaas Kersting, CEO of Phoenix Games. “We look forward to elevating these games to new heights with our proprietary Uplift platform and exciting new game experiences that we can craft around them.
Echoing this sentiment, Jairaj NS, General Manager at PopReach Games India, shares, “I am excited about joining forces with the stellar team at Phoenix Games. This marks the beginning of an exciting journey we can’t wait to embark on with Phoenix as our new home. This is great news for all the stakeholders, especially for the millions of our loyal players across the globe. I am happy we have found a new ideal home for our globally acclaimed games. This partnership enables us to continue pouring our hearts and souls into creating unforgettable experiences for our players worldwide and create value for stakeholders.”
Ted Hastings, CEO of Ionik, adds: “It’s truly remarkable that we’ve discovered the perfect home for our former games division, PopReach Games India, with Phoenix Games, ensuring a promising and successful path ahead. This strategic move enables us to turn our full attention to our core responsibilities”.
Based in Karlsruhe, Germany, Phoenix Games boasts an impressive lineup of studios, including Upright Games, Sixteen Tons Entertainment, Well Played Games, Smileygamer, and the recent addition of Canadian developer Sad Panda Studios in November 2023.
Utilizing its proprietary Uplift platform, Phoenix Games enhances the financial performance and reach of the titles of acquired game studios, providing their expertise in user acquisition, ad monetization, and live operations to ensure an economic upswing.
The post Phoenix Games acquires PopReach Games along with its impressive games portfolio and over 100 employees appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Gaming
Midjiwan Supports Reforestation Efforts With New Elyrion Tribe Skin In The Battle Of Polytopia
Midjiwan, the award-winning independent studio behind The Battle of Polytopia, is celebrating Elyrion (∑∫ỹriȱŋ) Tribe Week with a brand-new Midnight (₼idŋighţ) skin and donations to support reforestation.
Tapping into the Elyrion Tribe’s nature magic abilities, every purchase of an Elyrion item in the game will plant one real-world tree from April 22-28 2024. Midjiwan has teamed up with The Canopy Project, an organisation that works with global partners to reforest areas in urgent need of rehabilitation, combining The Battle Of Polytopia’s themes with a desire to make real change in the world. Previous years of Elyrion Tribe Week have resulted in the planting of over 12,000 trees.
The Elyrion Tribe is a mysterious group of elves, dedicated to defending their woodland home with their unique magic and connection with nature. Players using the Elyrion tribe have the ability to enchant animals into Polytaurs and summon powerful Fire Dragons.
Christian Lövstedt, General Manager at Midjiwan, commented:
“This is a hugely exciting partnership, allowing players to support the planet and contribute to reforestation whilst also accessing brilliant new content to use in The Battle Of Polytopia.”
Alongside donating to The Canopy Project, The Battle Of Polytopia also boasts a brand-new skin for the Elyrion Tribe! The Midnight skin allows players to create graves, build crypts, and summon demons in dark forests, all in service of the mysterious Shard of D’Naeh.
The Midnight skin re-skins the entire Elyrion Tribe as the Midnight Cult. Everything the Elyrion Tribe is all about – nature, enchantment, and sanctuary – is turned on its head, corrupted into a dark, twisted dystopia of itself.
Midjiwan has already invested €250,000 in solar power projects in rural areas around Africa, and other charitable projects. The studio continues to seek opportunities to combine its in-game creativity with real-world benefits. The Battle of Polytopia is available on Nintendo Switch, the App Store, Google Play, PC, and Tesla cars.
The post Midjiwan Supports Reforestation Efforts With New Elyrion Tribe Skin In The Battle Of Polytopia appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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