Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
57 year old Sonic the Hedgehog co creator Yuji Naka arrested for insider trading for Dragon Quest Tact at Square Enix and Aiming

Sonic Co-Creator Yuji Naka Has Been Arrested for Insider Trading Involving Dragon Quest

According to breaking Japanese news reports from FNN and TBS, and as relayed in English by Bloomberg journalist Takashi Mochizuki, Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka has been arrested for insider trading involving Square Enix and the Dragon Quest franchise. Naka is 57 years old.

Recommended Videos

Details available in English are incredibly scarce at the moment, but per Mochizuki, “Naka allegedly bought 10,000 (shares) of Aiming for Y2.8 million” in January 2020, when he was a Square Enix employee directing development of Balan Wonderworld, and he “learned then-non-public important information about Dragon Quest Tact being developed (by) Square Enix and Aiming.” Earlier today, it was reported that two other former Square Enix employees, Taisuke Sazaki and Fumiaki Suzuki, had also been arrested for insider trading involving Tact.

No further details on Yuji Naka being arrested are available in English as of yet. However, it is well established that Yuji Naka and Square Enix had a contentious relationship duringĀ the development of Balan Wonderworld, which released to intensely negative reception in March 2021. In April 2022, Naka revealed that Square Enix had effectively fired him before the completion of the game, and Naka sued Square Enix over it. Lots of fingers were pointed in all directions, and it was never clear who was actually to blame and to what extent. But since then, Naka had started over, creating his own mobile game and enjoying the success of the recent Sonic the Hedgehog movies.

Suffice to say, Yuji Naka being arrested wasn’t on anyone’s Bingo card for 2022, no matter how bad Balan was.


The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission.Ā Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of John Friscia
John Friscia
Former Managing Editor at The Escapist. I have been writing about video games since 2018 and editing writing on IT, project management, and video games for around a decade. I have an English degree, but Google was a more valuable learning resource. I taught English in South Korea for a year in 2018, and it was exponentially more fun than living in Pennsylvania. My major passions in life are SNES, Japanese RPGs, Berserk, and K-pop. I'm currently developing the game Boss Saga with my brother, which is guaranteed to change your life and you should buy it.