Now that's the real shocking part. It's a good game though and sales reflect that.

So how much did it cost to pay these 80 people?

The entire OP puts it as being abount rainbow curse, according to VGC it's yet to break 100k, but even if you ignore this and add latest ndp to japanese numbers, you get at most, 120k, for a game thats been out a month in the US and two months in JP, won't be out in EU/AUS for another two months, so even if you assume those regions would match the JP/AU numbers, which historically they dont, thats 240k.

sub 150k after 1-2 months of retail life is a flop however you paint it, had the order, titanfall, sunset overdrive or driveclub pulled those numbers you would also be saying they flopped.

First off 9 days in the US from NPD. Secondly your going to judge this game by excluding legs, which in itself is stupid. And Finally, Calling it a flop because it didn't hit high sales for this type of game? Yeah ok. I guess every game in japan is a flop then right?

Its going to do more than 300k+ lifetime, its a game you need to wait and see how well it holds up especially after its first holiday.

Sub 150k after 1-2months sounds bad but thats only if the game is Titanfall/Mario Kart/Etc. Not even in the same area bro lol. Captain Toad sales at 500k+ are more impressive than Titanfalls 2.5mil-3mil.

You need to check your research again. (and also wait for further results before shouting the word Flop lmao)

Development time - 27 months

Minimum staff salary (Before tax) 250,000y/month
Total staff salary per/month (80 staff) 20,000,000y
20,000,000y x 27 = 540,000,000
540m y at current exchange rate : $4,445,386.10

So the payment for the staffs salary alone would be, at minimum, 4.4 million usd.

That's assuming they were all in minimum-for-position jobs, and does not include localization team salary, does not include testers salary, and does not (obviously) include the higher position salarys, QA, PR, etc.

Even if you go with tbone's hopes of it hitting 300k lifetime, in selling 300k, they would need to be making $14.81 on every copy sold just to cover the absolute-minimum salary costs for the team that made it.

Not even breaking even with a lifetime estimate makes a game a flop, and I genuinely doubt Kirby RC will achieve that goal of breaking even.

And yet i'm the one told to "do some research", right, unfortunately i deal with realities not hopes and dreams.

How many people?

HAL has 130+ employees, not including the interns and short term positions, at least 70% of the team would have been assigned to RC. 70% of a minimum 130 is 91. so the earlier comment of 80 is probably true if not a little low.

Already answered above.

Wikipedia says 145 employees so 70% would be 101-102.

He's Guesstimating, and we dont know how many employees worked on the game + how long it took for development