Sony and Bandai Namco Integrate Winter Bonuses into Base Salaries to Lure Top Talent

In a bid to enhance their compensation packages, Sony and Bandai Namco have opted to discontinue the traditional winter bonus in Japan, instead incorporating it into their employees' monthly salaries. According to reports from Nikkei Business, as highlighted by Automaton, this shift aims to increase the overall salary for workers. For instance, the starting monthly salary for certain entry-level positions at Sony Group has seen an increase of approximately $330. Similarly, Bandai Namco has raised its starting salaries, first from around $1500 to $1980 per month in 2022, and more recently by an additional $100 per month. This strategic move is believed to be a response to the intense competition among companies for skilled talent. Notably, Bandai Namco experienced a significant reduction in staff, with over a hundred employees leaving between April 2024 and February 2025. This development follows earlier reports that the company had adopted a unique approach to staff reduction, where employees were reassigned to roles with minimal responsibilities, indirectly encouraging them to leave voluntarily. It was reported that around 200 employees out of 1300 were affected by this approach, with nearly half of them opting for voluntary resignation.