Sonic creator Yuji Naka sentenced to over 2 years in prison

Sonic the Hedgehog creator Yuji Naka has been sentenced to over two years in prison.

Yuji Naka is considered to be a legend of the video game industry, considering the fact that he is the co-creator of Sonic The Hedgehog and was once the president of Sonic Team at SEGA until he left the company in 2006. Naka first joined SEGA in 1984 and during a stint that lasted over two decades, he played his part in the development of Phantasy Star II, Night into Dreams, Phantasy Star Online as well as a number of Sonic The Hedgehog titles.

Yet, when Naka later joined Square Enix, he was also responsible for a game that is considered to be one of the worst of all time - none other than Balan Wonderworld which was released in 2021. Balan Wonderworld is a 3D platformer and was supposed to be Naka’s mark on the modern gaming industry. Unfortunately for him, it was panned by fans and critics alike and garnered Metacritic scores as low as 36.

Yet, things were about to get much worse for Naka when in November 2022, he was arrested on suspicion of insider trading at Square Enix after buying shares to earn profits related to the release of the mobile game Dragon Quest Tact. Then, he was arrested yet again on the same allegations just a month later, this time related to another mobile game, Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier.

Insider trading is when someone is aware that share prices are about to increase, so they might buy shares at the initial lower price, knowing that they will make easy profits. As reported by TheGamer (via Denfanminicogamer.jp), in the latest development, the shamed Sonic The Hedgehog co-creator has now been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in March 2023 and will serve two and a half years behind bars.

Naka has also been ordered to pay ¥2.5 million (approx £140K) and ¥170 million (approx £980K). However, it is reported that Naka’s lawyers are looking to decrease those fines. Unlike the abilities of his creation, Sonic The Hedgehog, Naka was unable to outrun Japanese law, and the law most certainly won.