In 2022, in a HCOL, $150K base for an exceptionally senior/lead developer with 10 to 15+ years of experience, writing hard-core C++ and multiple shipped AAA tit

In 2022, in a HCOL, $150K base for an exceptionally senior/lead developer with 10 to 15+ years of experience, writing hard-core C++ and multiple shipped AAA titles, in the games industry, working on console or PC or mobile, with a BSc, that isn't connected to blockchain/web3/nfts/crypto, is actually on the high side. If the developer is pure Unity (even if they are writing C++/HLSL every day), you can cut another $20K off of the price. Senior developers sit around $100K to $120K. Mid-levels below that. I am specifically talking HCOL US wages. I got a "generous" offer last year where the company struggled to get to $160K base for the Los Angeles area. There's a reason that Roblox, Amazon, Microsoft, Google can slurp up pretty much any software developer in the games industry. Artists and designers will rarely break $100k. There will also be project management (director & producer), and QA. Though depending on how the studio is set up, QA might be a shared resource and only get line items towards the end of development. Tool & software budgets in the games industry are miniscule. Training and continuing education are non-existent. Bonuses hardly exist. You might get a $40 "special sale" office chair that at least four other people have had before you. Unless you buy your own or get really lucky, that keyboard and mouse you're given has been there since the company was founded and are now considered religious artifacts. A fully loaded team of 10 developers is going to be one lead, two or three senior SMEs, 50% mid-levels (if you're lucky), and the rest are juniors or developers who are (non-visual) scripters building visual (UI, effects, game play) in Lua or some other scripting language. We can argue the numbers back and forth in endless pedantry, but my salary numbers are going to be pretty close to reality, with $5k to $10k here and there based on current industry trends. I keep my finger on the pulse of the industry pretty closely. In 22+ years, high-end salary of $100K in 2001 has slowly crept up to $130K-ish in 2022. Over my 40 year career I've spent a good two decades doing AAA development, have been senior/lead/tech director and CTO, and run my own studio, built multiple teams and managed large projects and have hired a lot of game developers over the years.