/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24775661/yuji_naka_screenshot.png "Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator receives suspended prison term for insider trading")
Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator, Yuji Naka, has recently been convicted of insider trading, resulting in a suspended prison sentence and fines totaling around $1.2 million (173 million yen). According to a report from Japanese news outlet Jiji, the court imposed a 2.5-year prison sentence, but it was suspended for four years. This means Naka won’t be going to prison immediately, as long as he doesn’t commit any additional crimes during this period. The incidents in question occurred in 2020 while Naka was employed at Square Enix, where he was arrested twice for his involvement in insider trading.
In the first case, Naka and two co-workers purchased 162,000 shares worth approximately $332,000 (47.2 million yen) in the game developer Aiming before Square Enix announced its collaboration with the studio on a mobile Dragon Quest game. The three individuals were arrested in November of last year. The second incident, which resulted in Naka’s arrest just a month later, involved Naka and another Square Enix employee buying 120,000 shares valued at over $1 million (144.7 million yen) in another games studio that Square Enix planned to partner with. This studio, Ateam, collaborated with Square Enix on the mobile game Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. The court’s ruling encompasses both of these cases.
Yuji Naka gained recognition during his time at Sega, where he played a pivotal role in creating the iconic character Sonic the Hedgehog. After leaving Sega in 2006, Naka joined Square Enix to work on the game Balan Wonderworld, which received poor reception from both critics and players. However, Naka’s involvement with the project was cut short as he was removed from the team six months before the game’s release. He subsequently filed a lawsuit against Square Enix.
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