Balan Wonderland wasn’t quite the magical ride many hoped for. It was the first project to come from Balan Company (a subsidiary of Square Enix), and the mastermind behind the project - well, originally anyway - was Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka.
Despite having been a vital creative force behind of gaming’s most recognisable and successful icons, Naka was fired from the position of director by Square Enix midway through Balan Wonderland’s production. Naka decided to sue Square Enix in response, and now that the court proceedings are over he's not holding back on blaming Square Enix for the game’s failures.
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Taking to Twitter, Naka criticised co-developer Arzest for submitting the game “without fixing it despite the fact that there were glitches in the development process”. Naka also had disagreements over the game’s music as he “insisted on publishing the score of an original song,” which did not fit with the studio’s plans.
He later claimed: “I think Square Enix and Arzest are companies that do not care about games and game fans.” He went on, adding: “I believe that a game should be made with the intention of making it a good game until the very end.”
He later apologised to fans who bought Balan Wonderland in its “unfinished” state. Naka said his pursuit of perfection, which Square Enix wouldn’t allow, is what led to Sonic becoming such a huge success. “Game creators are supposed to improve their games until the very last minute, and to prevent them from doing so is still not right,” he added.
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Negative reviews of Balan Wonderland did slander the game’s various gameplay issues and poor mechanics, alongside the unclear narrative. Perhaps had Naka stayed on board, we may have experienced a very different game.
Topics: Sega, Sonic, Square Enix