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Yottamole · Jun 13, 2012

Forbes recently published its 2012 list of Japan's 40 Richest. I sorted out the ones who are in the video game industry below in ascending order:

#39 Yasuhiro Fukushima - Net Worth $660 million
Founder of Enix, current largest shareholder of Square Enix.

#25 Hajime Satomi - Net Worth $1.15 billion
Founder of pachinko maker Sammy, now head of Sega Sammy.

#11 Hiroshi Yamauchi - Net Worth $2.7 billion
Former president of Nintendo, now its largest individual shareholder.

#7 Yoshikazu Tanaka - Net Worth $3.5 billion
Richest among the 4 listed here, and youngest in the top 40 list. Founder of GREE, a mobile social gaming company.

Mechazawa · Jun 13, 2012

Okay, #7 is pretty funny.

Salvadora · Jun 13, 2012

Thought Yamauchi was worth more than that.
Edit: Wikipedia says 7.8bn. Must have been hit hard by Nintendo's share decline.

awaiken · Jun 13, 2012

Yes Boss! · Jun 13, 2012

Salvadora said:
Thought Yamauchi was worth more than that.

Nintendo stock is around $15...used to be $70+ a couple years ago.

erpg · Jun 13, 2012

Salvadora said:
Thought Yamauchi was worth more than that.

Neiteio · Jun 13, 2012

Salvadora said:
Thought Yamauchi was worth more than that.
Edit: Wikipedia says 7.8bn. Must have been hit hard by Nintendo's share decline.

Poor Yamauchi. I hope he'll be OK.

Jarmel · Jun 13, 2012

Surprised no Kojima.

Lagspike_exe · Jun 13, 2012

How much are Kutaragi and Miyamoto worth?

massoluk · Jun 13, 2012

Man, how's Yamauchi going to feed himself now.

AgentChris · Jun 13, 2012

Lagspike_exe said:
How much are Kutaragi and Miyamoto worth?

Wikipedia says, Kutaragi is worth ¥500B.

Salvadora · Jun 13, 2012

Edit: Could be incorrect.

Takao · Jun 13, 2012

AgentChris said:
Wikipedia says, Kutaragi is worth ¥500B.

Krazy Ken's worth $6B? wat

ponpo · Jun 13, 2012

GREE & Gacha forever.

wrowa · Jun 13, 2012

I dislike these lists that are mostly defined over the amount of stock the people own... In the end, it's all just theoretical money. Especially when you have people like Yamauchi who wouldn't sell their stock anyway no matter what happens.

Fox318 · Jun 13, 2012

Salvadora said:
Thought Yamauchi was worth more than that.

Blame that on Iwata.

out0v0rder · Jun 13, 2012

I hope i look as good as Yamauchi if i get to 84

Digishine · Jun 13, 2012

Jarmel said:
Surprised no Kojima.

He spend all his money on the food you see on twitter.

Omiee · Jun 13, 2012

Yes Boss! said:
Nintendo stock is around $15...used to be $70+ a couple years ago.

this should be the best time to buy their stock right?

it should increase to 50 again in the future?

Takao · Jun 13, 2012

Omiee said:
this should be the best time to buy their stock right?

it should increase to 50 again in the future?

Depends, do you believe in the Wii U?

murderofMonkey · Jun 13, 2012

how rich are the designer and creator of games ?
i would guess, that shigeru miyamoto and kazunori yamauchi are the leading characters.

Lagspike_exe · Jun 13, 2012

AgentChris said:
Wikipedia says, Kutaragi is worth ¥500B.

I read that too, but I'm not certain if it's true.

EVIL · Jun 13, 2012

Jarmel said:
Surprised no Kojima.

he is "just" a developer

The game industry is an industry where even if you are a legend among developers, you still won't become a millionaire. Money flows to the execs of big publishing houses, not to the talent behind the success. Clearly its the work of the publisher who pump $$$ in marketing campaigns that got a game successful and not the work of the developer *rolleyes*

GreggTheGrimReaper · Jun 13, 2012

murderofMonkey said:
how rich are the designer and creator of games ?
i would guess, that shigeru miyamoto and kazunori yamauchi are the leading characters.

At least we know about Yu Suzuki and some other SEGA developers that they're driving Ferraris.

AgentChris · Jun 13, 2012

Lagspike_exe said:
I read that too, but I'm not certain if it's true.

Same. Seems very very high.

EVIL · Jun 13, 2012

murderofMonkey said:
how rich are the designer and creator of games ?
i would guess, that shigeru miyamoto and kazunori yamauchi are the leading characters.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Iwata-Miyamoto-Salary-Japan-Games,news-7270.html

As for the other six Nintendo board members, they were not individually named (although developer Shigeru Miyamoto is one of them), however the group earns ¥100 million ($1.13 million USD *devided by 6 makes that around 216.000 USD a year*) in total. For Miyamoto, that paycheck just doesn't seem to justify the revenue his designs have brought the company over the last two decades. However the famed developer has always insisted on staying level with the other producers, refusing a higher salary.

BD1 · Jun 13, 2012

Yottamol said:
#11 Hiroshi Yamauchi - Net Worth $2.7 billion
Former president of Nintendo, now its largest individual shareholder.

This is why I never believe those "Iwata ejector seat" rumblings. Yamauchi hand picked Iwata, and he's still the real boss. I could be mistaken, but I believe Yamauchi and his various family members have the controlling interest of Nintendo's stock.

apana · Jun 13, 2012

"Iwata you better get these numbers up or else....well let me just say your body is not ready. Wait, Iwata, are you still on the line? Why aren't you saying anything? What are you doing right now?"

"I shouldn't have put him on hold, he was probably calling about something important....nah it can wait."

Jarmel · Jun 13, 2012

EVIL said:
he is "just" a developer

The game industry is an industry where even if you are a legend among developers, you still won't become a millionaire. Money flows to the execs of big publishing houses, not to the talent behind the success. Clearly its the work of the publisher who pump $$$ in marketing campaigns that got a game successful and not the work of the developer *rolleyes*

He's an executive now.

Oblivion · Jun 14, 2012

Yottamol said:
#7 Yoshikazu Tanaka - Net Worth $3.5 billion
Richest among the 4 listed here, and youngest in the top 40 list. Founder of GREE, a mobile social gaming company.

Wow, didn't know GREE was that big. I've only heard of them last week and that was only cause they had some of the hottest booth babes.

VashTS · Jun 14, 2012

I was almost expecting the president of Capcom considering how much they love to rob/fuck over their consumers. Also the president of Capcom owns his own vineyard in the CA.

Sohter.Nura · Jun 14, 2012

apana said:
"Iwata you better get these numbers up or else....well let me just say your body is not ready. Wait, Iwata, are you still on the line? Why aren't you saying anything? What are you doing right now?"

"I shouldn't have put him on hold, he was probably calling about something important....nah it can wait."

Holy shit, this made laugh HARD LOL

Good job, that was precious comedy gold!

Firestorm · Jun 14, 2012

Oblivion said:
Wow, didn't know GREE was that big. I've only heard of them last week and that was only cause they had some of the hottest booth babes.

GREE is friggin huge. I'm pretty sure they're the largest social mobile gaming company in the world.

Takao · Jun 14, 2012

Oblivion said:
Wow, didn't know GREE was that big. I've only heard of them last week and that was only cause they had some of the hottest booth babes.

They're huge in Japan. They've only started their attempt at global domination.

Nemo · Jun 14, 2012

The Enix dude has more than the Square head? DQ is crazy

Also Tanaka is pretty young for that money. didn't he start it from almost nothing?

zerokoolpsx · Jun 14, 2012

Firestorm said:
GREE is friggin huge. I'm pretty sure they're the largest social mobile gaming company in the world.

Me neither until I saw their section at E3. Came there for the free drinks they were handing out and the booth babes.

Takao said:
They're huge in Japan. They've only started their attempt at global domination.

Oblivion said:
Wow, didn't know GREE was that big. I've only heard of them last week and that was only cause they had some of the hottest booth babes.

Yoshikazu Tanaka is rolling in dough.

LiK · Jun 14, 2012

GREEn

cosmicblizzard · Jun 14, 2012

I thought Gree was losing a ton of money. Guess they got a warchest.

Dark Octave · Jun 14, 2012

Lyphen said:

LOL Like the way you did that.

God damn mobile social games...

Yottamole · Jun 14, 2012

Teetris said:
The Enix dude has more than the Square head? DQ is crazy

Well, Enix did absorb Square, and Fukushima is similar to Yamauchi in that they are the largest shareholder of a company that's headed by someone else.

Jigsaw · Jun 14, 2012

Lyphen said:

damn

is it now even lower than to their n64 and gamecube times?

BocoDragon · Jun 14, 2012

Firestorm said:
GREE is friggin huge. I'm pretty sure they're the largest social mobile gaming company in the world.

Jesus. Why do we need to worry about the state of the Japanese game industry again?

Nemo · Jun 14, 2012

Yottamol said:
Well, Enix did absorb Square, and Fukushima is similar to Yamauchi in that they are the largest shareholder of a company that's headed by someone else.

Oh damn, and here I always thought it was the other way around

gunbo13 · Jun 14, 2012

I work for #1's company. That's a good spot.

djplaeskool · Jun 14, 2012

Teetris said:
Oh damn, and here I always thought it was the other way around

You will see people hanging onto the merger and claiming, "Enix killed Squaresoft." rather than the other way around.

Mirimar · Jun 14, 2012

gunbo13 said:
I work for #1's company. That's a good spot.

Hah, I should have known Uniqlo was at the top. God, working for that company is such a chore.

Alrus · Jun 14, 2012

Why is their marital status included...

muu · Jun 14, 2012

Teetris said:
Oh damn, and here I always thought it was the other way around

Enix saved Squaresoft after they nearly killed themselves making Spirits Within

ViewtifulJC · Jun 14, 2012

Alrus said:
Why is their marital status included...

Gotta let dem gold diggers know who's available

Digital-Hero · Jun 14, 2012

Salvadora said:
Thought Yamauchi was worth more than that.
Edit: Wikipedia says 7.8bn. Must have been hit hard by Nintendo's share decline.

Wikipedia is not always a great source to cite.

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