Yuji Naka, 'Sonic the Hedgehog' Co-creator Has Been Charged Again For Insider Trading, This Time Over A 'Final Fantasy' Spinoff
Image Source: Kotaku Australia
Yuji Naka has once again been charged with insider trading, which in Japan is a violation of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Just a month after he was arrested for allegedly purchasing ¥2.8 million worth of shares in Aiming before the announcement of a Dragon Quest project they were involved in, the Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator was arrested again for buying roughly $1,080,000 worth of stock in a company that was set to work on a Final Fantasy spin-off title.
The company in question was ATeam, and the spin-off was Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier, a battle royale title released exclusively for mobile devices. This title was announced in 2021, and Naka was profiting off of insider trading by purchasing shares in ATeam before they announced they were working on the title. Naka was arrested on December 7th and formally charged by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office this past Tuesday, December 27th. Naka was arrested alongside Square Enix Taisuke Sasaki, who was arrested for trading roughly $782,000 of stock through these insider trading deals.
Yuji Naka is primarily known for being one of the driving forces behind the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog. However, he left Sonic Team in 2006 to found his own studio Prope before going to Square Enix in 2018.
READ NEXT:
Latest News
Featured
