Yuji Naka, Former Leader Of Team Sonic, Has Been Arrested On Charges Of Insider Trading
Image Source: Push Square
The former head of Sonic Team and one of the forces behind the beginnings of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, Yuji Naka, has been arrested for insider trading along with two other Square Enix employees. In January 2020, Naka bought ¥2.8 million worth of Aiming stock before announcing a new Dragon Quest project the company was working on with Square Enix, Dragon Quest Tact. The idea seems to be that Aiming’s stock would rise amid the game’s announcement, as Naka had learned vital information about the title. As a result, Naka was arrested along with Taisuke Sasaki (a former Square Enix employee) and Fumiaki Suzuki (an acquaintance) for insider trading under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act.
Yuji Naka was with SEGA from 1984 to 2006, leaving in the middle of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). He was involved in developing all Sonic titles from 1991 to 2006. This is also not the video game giant’s first brush with controversy. Naka and Sonic co-creator Naoto Oshima developed the 3D platformer Balan Wonderworld, published by Square Enix in 2021. The title was received poorly and was a commercial failure, causing Naka to leave the company this year.
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