If you’ve ever wondered who would top the rich list of video game characters in real life, you’re in luck. A new study by an online gaming company alone has explored which video game icons would make the most money if their virtual profession were real, as well as who would make the least.
Top of the rich list is Borderlands’ Handsome Jack, with estimated earnings of £333,043 as CEO. Special Forces soldier Solid Snake is next with earnings of over £100,000, followed by Resident Evil virologist Albert Wesker.
The study uses data from salary comparison sites as well as publicly available pay bands to find an average annual salary for more than 50 video game characters.
Call of Duty’s Alex Mason, Max Payne, and LA Noire detective Cole Phelps are other big earners, along with Half Life’s Gordon Freeman and Splinter Cell’s Sam Fisher.
Listed as a Japanese security guard, Pac-Man leads the list of lowest earners, with an estimated median income of £15,916.
Martial arts instructor Ryu is also among the lowest earners, taking home an average of £21,713.
You can see the full lists of the highest and lowest earners below…
The 20 video game characters with the highest income…
1. Handsome Jack (Borderlands 2) – CEO – £333,043
2. Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid) – Special Forces Soldier – £107,517
3. Albert Wesker (Resident Evil) – Virologist – £90,519
4. Alex Mason (Call of Duty) – CIA Agent – £82,317
5. Max Payne (Max Payne) – NYPD Detective – £75,922
6. Cole Phelps (LA Noire) – Los Angeles Police Detective – £71,846
7. Gordon Freeman (Half-Life) – Research Associate Scientist – £70,145
8. Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption 2) – Bounty Hunter – £69,750
9. Mortimer Goth (The Sims) – Scientist – £69,076
10. Isaac Clarke (Dead Space) – Engineer – £64,859
11. Duke Nukem (Duke Nukem) – CIA Special Agent – £62,837
12. CJ Johnson (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas) – Entrepreneur – £59,626
13. Bella Goth (The Sims) – Intelligence Researcher – £58,363
14. Michael De Santa (Grand Theft Auto V) – Film Producer – £54,563
15. Leon S Kennedy (Resident Evil) – Police Officer – £54,113
16. Homer Simpson (Simpson’s Hit and Run) – Nuclear Technician – £53,629
17. Master Chief (Halo) – Master Chief Petty Officer – £53,491
18. Doom Slayer (Doom) – Marine Gunnery Sergeant Major – £53,490
19. Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell) – Navy Seal – £48,729
20. Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine (Resident Evil) – SWAT Team Member (£48,158)
The 20 Video Game Characters Who Earn The Least…
1. Pac-Man (Pac-Man) – Security Guard – £15,916
2. Link (The Legend of Zelda) – Knight – £19,661
3. Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy) – Private First Class – £19,964
4. Desmond Miles (Assassin’s Creed) – Bartender – £21,408
5. Ryu (Street Fighter) – Martial Arts Instructor – £21,723
6. Marcus Fenix (Gears of War) – Army Sergeant – £24,119
7. Don Lothario (The Sims) – Medical Intern – £24,784
8. Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher) – Pest Controller – £24,906
9. Niko Bellic – (Grand Theft Auto IV) – Taxi Driver – £25,521
10. Lightning (Final Fantasy) – Security Guard – £29,084
11. Crash Bandicoot – (Crash Bandicoot) – Bodyguard – £29,670
12. John Marston – (Red Dead Redemption) – Rancher – £32,770
13. Mario – (Super Mario Bros) – Plumber – £32,895
14. Tom Nook (Animal Crossing) – Real Estate Agent – £33,812
15. Isabelle – (Animal Crossing) – Secretary – £34,071
16. Freddy Fazbear – (Five Nights at Freddy’s) – Pet – £35,078
17. Captain John ‘Soap’ MacTavish – (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare) – Army Sergeant – £35,953
18. Booker DeWitt (Bioshock Infinite) – Private Investigator – £36,000
19. Spyro (Spyro the Dragon) – Jewelery Box – £36,516
20. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog) – Professional Athlete – £36,592