Nintendo employs less than 3,000 permanent staff, each of whom takes home an average annual salary of $90,900 a year. Assuming the platform holder achieves its net profit target of 410 billion yen ($3.9bn) in 2008, each employee will generate the company $1.6 million in profit, according to the paper’s calculations.
In comparison, the average Goldman Sach’s employee generated $1.24 million in profit for the firm before tax and pay in 2007, and received a $660,000 pay packet. The equivalent figure for Google is reportedly $626,000.
The report says that Nintendo is able to make so much money with so few staff because it relies on outsourcing for all hardware manufacturing and even a number of its high-profile games.
Nintendo said that the Financial Times’ figures may underestimate the company’s profitability.