A quarter of Russian gaming specialists earn less than $1,000

We continue to publish the results of the salary survey conducted from April to May 2023, chapter by chapter. This publication focuses on the salary levels of the average gaming specialist in Russia.

But first, a reminder that we are currently conducting a new salary survey. Through it, we are collecting up-to-date data on the salary situation among Russian-speaking and Russian specialists. You can take the survey here:

Let's start with the distribution of received questionnaires across fields of activity.

Here, we should note which specialties are absent from the chart (i.e., who has disappeared from Russia after relocation). There is a lack of personnel in Business Development and Community & Support. The share of both areas has fallen below 1%. Additionally, there's a lack of management.

Now, let's look at the chart of specialists' distribution by professional level. Here, we need to compare the chart of all Russian-speaking specialists with those in Russia.

Here we see that in Russia, there's a smaller share of C-level, Lead, Head, and Senior specialists. This serves as an additional (albeit indirect, since we're comparing the overall situation with the regional one) confirmation of our thesis that relocation in the gaming industry primarily affected key and most experienced specialists.

If we compare the age distribution of all Russian-speaking gaming specialists with those in Russia, we can observe:

• At the moment, there are fewer specialists aged 25-34 in Russia compared to the overall Russian-speaking industry;
• However, there is significantly more of those aged 18-24, and slightly more of those aged 35-44.

This brings us back to the previously stated thesis that the largest share of specialists remaining in Russia are those who are younger and those who are older.

Now, let's touch on the topic of money a bit.

The average monthly expenditure of gaming specialists living in Russia is quite low compared to regions where other Russian-speaking specialists reside. It amounts to $815. Speaking of the median, it is even less — $700.

Gaming specialists living in Russia generally note that to live comfortably, they need to earn slightly more than $3,000 per month. The median value was lower — $2,500.

22.5% of gaming specialists still living in Russia earn between $1,000 and $1,500. The share of game developers whose monthly salary is between $1,500 and $2,500 is also high, totaling 31.5%.

Almost a quarter of specialists in the Russian-speaking gaming industry living in Russia earn less than $1,000. The average salary of a game developer in Russia is $1,833, with a median of $1,700.

Regarding levels of satisfaction, most game developers working in Russia are satisfied with both their work and working conditions. However, almost half (47.5%) of specialists report dissatisfaction with salary levels. A significant portion of respondents (43.6%) also expressed concern about their future growth prospects within their current workplace.

Methodology

The study is the result of the third salary survey of Russian-speaking representatives in the gaming industry. The survey was conducted by WN Media Group from April to May 2023. It was conducted via voluntary questionnaires (users filled out a freely distributed survey).

During the survey, 1,004 completed questionnaires were received. Of these, 472 were from specialists located in Russia.

Since the data were collected a year and a half ago, they may be outdated. However, we believe they accurately reflect the overall situation.