yuji naka

July 7, 2023

It’s Official: Yuji Naka Has Been Given A Suspended Prison Sentence

Peter Paltridge sega, Sonic the Hedgehog, Square Enix, yuji naka 8

Imagine co-creating one of the most iconic video game characters of all time and then, thirty years later, being sentenced to jail. Those are the highs and lows of Yuji Naka’s life — the man responsible for developing Sonic the Hedgehog for Sega, and then caught participating in insider trading while at Square Enix. Naka was arrested on two separate instances of the crime, one in November of last year and again the following month. The first involved buying stock in developer Aiming while holding secret knowledge they were about to be hired to make a Dragon Quest mobile game. The second crime was similar, only with a different mobile developer. Naka’s hearing and sentencing covered both crimes. Naka was handed down a sentence of two years in prison…but the truth is, he may not actually see a single day in a jail cell. The judge felt Naka had shown adequate remorse and gave him what’s known as a “suspended” sentence….meaning as long as he stays on good behavior and

June 4, 2021

Yuji Naka Expectedly Leaves Square Enix

Peter Paltridge balan wonderworld, Square Enix, video games, yuji naka 0

A few years ago, Sonic creator Yuji Naka took up residence at Square Enix to make his next game. Naka, for anyone who doesn’t know, is the creator of Sonic the Hedgehog and the director of the Blue Blur’s first few games, as well as a few other Sega classics like Nights Into Dreams and Billy Hatcher. There was high anticipation for what he was about to create next. Naka set up an internal studio at Square called “Balan Company” and began work on a project meant to revive a dead genre: the 3D mascot platformer. A noble goal — this reporter misses them terribly. Unfortunately, what he ended up creating was one of 2021’s biggest bombs. Balan Wonderworld, as it came to be called, released its demo earlier this year. We played it and were massively disappointed. The environments, despite having a colorful and creative design, felt empty and lifeless. The tasks you had to perform felt simplistic and boring. And the framerate was incredibly bad, dipping into the