in: Corporate

Yuji Naka

Yuji Naka, formerly a video game designer, programmer, and producer, played a key role as the lead programmer in the creation of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game released in 1991. He also held the position of executive head at Sonic Team during his career.

Yuji Naka

Yuji Naka

Overview

Gender

Male

Birthday

17 September 1965

Birthplace

Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, Japan[citation needed]

Nationality

Japanese

Nickname(s)

  • YU2[1]Anecdotes About Yu Suzuki From Yuji Naka. DenFamiNicoGamer Talk Show. phantomriverstone (27 March 2017). Retrieved on 6 March 2023. “Koji Aizawa: There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask Naka-san but haven’t been able… / Yuji Naka: What’s that? / Aizawa: You often write “YU2” as your alias, don’t you. Looking at it, since you’re Yuji, I wondered why the “2”. Apparently there’s a theory that since there was already Yu Suzuki (of Virtua Fighter and Shenmue), it was to show you were the second and were aiming to outdo Yu-san. I wondered if you had that kind of intention… What is the real meaning of YU2? / Naka: Yu-san is Yu Suzuki, and he used to write “YU”. I’m Yuji so it’s also “YU”, but since Yu-san was using that “YUJI” was suggested so I decided to make it “2”. It didn’t mean I was trying to better Yu-san, but that I’m next after him, a sign of respect. You see, I added the “2” with the feeling that there’s no way I could surpass him; I would be after him, or beneath him.”[2]セガの天才プログラマー中裕司が明かす「ソニック」「PSO」開発裏話。セガのネット対応は“ある男”のポケットマネーだった…？(DenFamiNicoGamer; untranslated). 【ニコ生書き起こし】(untranslated). 電ファミニコゲーマー (untranslated) (2017年3月13日). Retrieved on 8 March 2023. “相沢浩仁: ずっと聞きたくて聞けなかった質問を中さんにしたいんですが……。 / 中 裕司: なんですか？ / 相沢: 中さんがよく、ハンドルネーム的に、「YU2」って書いてたんですよね。普通に考えると裕司だから、2なのかなって思うんですが。どうも一説には『バーチャファイター』や『シェンムー』の鈴木裕さんがすでにいらっしゃったので、その2人目、さらに裕さんを超えてやるぞとか。そういう思いがあるんじゃないかな、と思いつつ……「YU2」の本当の意味は何なんでしょうか？ / 中: 裕さんが鈴木裕で、「YU」って書いてたんですよ。ボクも裕司だから「YU」なんですけど、裕さんが「YU」使ってるし、俺は裕司だから「YUJI」にしようっていうので、「2」にしてるんです。これは裕さんを超えてやろうというより、裕さんの次というか、裕さんをリスペクトしているというか。ボクは裕さんを超えられない、絶対にその次、下にあるだろうと思って“2”ってつけているぐらいの感じなんですよ。その当時、鈴木裕さんって、本当に天才プログラマーというか、すごかったんですよ。” (Sonic the Hedgehog (1991))/(Sonic the Hedgehog 2)
  • Y.Naka (Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure)
  • Muuu Yuji/Muuuu Yuji
  • Nitta Tai Yuji

Company(s)

  • Sega of Japan (1984-2006)[3]名作アルバム – 『ガールズガーデン』 (ja) (15 January 2002). Retrieved on 6 March 2023.[4]Yuji Naka confirmed to be leaving Sega to form Prope. Engadget. Dan Choi (8 May 2006). Retrieved on 24 July 2020. “Engadget: Back in March, we heard rumblings that Sega stalwart Yuji Naka was planning to leave Sega to start his own studio. Today, that rumor’s been confirmed. According to Next Generation, Naka’s new company is called Prope, which means “‘beside’ and ‘near’ future.” Prope’s web site (not linked on Next Gen) apparently explains that the name was chosen “in the hopes of bringing game entertainment much closer to users, establishing closer ties between users and us, and creating near future entertainment.””
  • Sega of America
    • Sega Technical Institute
  • Sonic Team (1990-2006)
  • Prope (2006–2022)[5]Yuji Naka On Prope’s Status: Downsized To One-Person Company. Siliconera. Alistair Wong (24 March 2019). Retrieved on 6 March, 2023. “Tweet 1: ご質問があったのでお答えしますと、プロぺは2017年4月末で事業を縮小して私１人の会社になりました。今年の6月で7年になるバディモンスターは運営会社様にお願いしてあります。もしよろしければプロぺのアプリや3DSのすれちがい迷宮やすれちがいフィッシング、そして僕が約20年ぶりに一部プログラムを Tweet 2: そして僕が約20年ぶりに一部プログラムをしたレジェンドオブコイン等を遊んで頂けると嬉しいです。 基本的にプロぺの仕事は土日に書類関連をやっている程度です。平日はスクウェアエニックスでみなさんに楽しんで頂けるようなゲームを作っています。”[6] Yuji Naka Arrested a Second Time For Suspected Insider Trading. Sonic City (7 December, 2022). Retrieved on 7 December, 2022.[7]Yuji Naka Indicted After Insider Trading Charges. Sonic City (28 December, 2022). Retrieved on 28 December, 2022.
  • Balan Company (2018-2021)

Job

  • Video game designer (formerly)
  • Programmer (formerly)
  • Producer (formerly)

History

Early Life

Yuji Naka’s interest in computers was sparked by his favorite musician, who used coding to create music. During high school, he worked part-time at Nihon Microcomputer Academy, where he was responsible for adapting games across different gaming platforms.[8]“Power Profiles: Yuji Naka”. Nintendo Power V242: 46–48. June 2009. “Questionnaire: How did you first become involved in the video game industry? / Yuji Naka: I started at Sega. When I was a high school student, I worked for the company part time. I was porting games from one platform to another. Going back further, the reason I first got interested in computers was because my favorite musician was using them to make music. From there, I started coding games.” Initially, Naka aimed to work at Namco, a game company that unfortunately ceased operations in 2006, the same year he left Sega. However, his academic performance in high school wasn’t strong enough for university admission, so he had limited options. Sega and Taito were among the few companies that hired individuals without university degrees, and Naka opted for Sega.[9]“Power Profiles: Yuji Naka”. Nintendo Power V242: 46–48. June 2009. “Questionnaire: Why did you originally choose to work at Sega rather than some other publisher? / Yuji Naka: I wanted to go to Namco. [Laughs] But I didn’t get very good grades in high school. That’s why I didn’t go to university. Back then, Sega and Taito were the only companies that would hire people without a university degree. So I choose Sega. [Laughs]”

Upon joining Sega in 1984, Yuji Naka stayed at Sega Omori dormitory, where he spent his initial month honing his skills before embarking on his first game development project.

During his training at Sega, Naka’s section manager assigned him a unique task: “Create a game for girls” as part of his training. Naka collaborated on this assignment with Hiroshi Kawaguchi, who was also in the midst of his training. After two months, the manager informed Naka that they were going to release the game. Following a five-month development period, “Girls’ Garden” (1985) was launched and received positive reviews, particularly for being “one of the more technically impressive games” available on Sega’s hardware at the time.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Yuji Naka took on the role of programming the original Sonic the Hedgehog game in 1991, with character design by Naoto Ohshima and level design by Hirokazu Yasuhara. Throughout his career, Naka also served as the producer for numerous other titles, including Nights into Dreams…, Burning Rangers, Phantasy Star Online, Sega Superstars, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, and Rodea the Sky Soldier. In earlier games, he was often credited as “YU2” (a reference to Yu Suzuki) and “Muuu Yuji.”

When questioned about the famous Nintendo vs. Sega console wars of the 1990s in an episode of Icons, Naka expressed that his intentions while creating the original Sonic the Hedgehog game differed from the direction it ultimately took. He mentioned that the comparisons drawn between Sonic and Mario were a result of media misunderstanding. Naka also emphasized that he had a good relationship with Nintendo and that Sega held respect for Nintendo’s Mario games, which were seen as a standard of quality that Sega aimed to match.[10]Sega’s Yuji Naka Talks!. GameSpy. Retrieved on 3 January 2015. “Yuji Naka: I will go on the record here and state that we at Sega have always had nothing but the utmost respect for Nintendo and the Mario games. Even when they were our direct competitor in the hardware arena, we have viewed the games as a watermark of quality for us to strive towards. It is a pleasure and an honor for us to work with Nintendo as a third party today.”

In a reflection on his career in the video game industry, spanning from its beginnings through the console wars to his departure from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Naka shared his perspective in Nintendo Power (June 2009). He was asked about his observations regarding how the video game industry had evolved over time. Naka made an interesting comparison, likening games from the era of the console wars, such as Sonic’s classic games, to novels. These games allowed players the freedom to use their imaginations. He contrasted this with the industry’s contemporary direction, where games were becoming more like movies, driven by marketing’s pursuit of realism and revealing every detail, thereby reducing the player’s creative engagement with the games. Naka expressed that what he missed the most was being involved in hardware development, finding it enjoyable to compete with Nintendo in that domain.[11]“Power Profiles: Yuji Naka”. Nintendo Power V242: 46–48. June 2009. “Questionnaire: You addressed this a little bit already regarding the longer development cycles, but how would you say the video game industry has changed during the time you’ve been involved with it? / Yuji Naka: Previously, games didn’t need to be realistic. Now a big part of a game’s marketing is how realistic it is. Think of it like the difference between a novel and a movie. Games used to be like novels in that there was a lot of room for the player’s imagination. With current games, everything is laid out for the player. The biggest change for me, personally, over the past 25 years is that I’m no longer involved in hardware development. I used to work on the hardware side, and in those days, I was battling Nintendo! [Laughs] That’s no longer the case, obviously. But for me, I think those hardware battles were more fun. [Laughs]”

Leaving During Mid-Development of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

In May 2006, during the production of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and Sonic and the Secret Rings, both of which were being developed secretly, Yuji Naka made the announcement that he was departing from Sega to establish his own game development studio, Prope. This decision drew parallels to Naoto Ohshima’s departure from Sonic Team in 1999 when he founded Artoon.

In 2009, Yuji Naka spoke with Nintendo Power about his departure from Sega. He expressed contentment with his decision, noting that his newfound independence at Prope gave him a sense of freedom reminiscent of the early days of Sonic Team during the Classic era of Sonic the Hedgehog games.[12]“Power Profiles: Yuji Naka”. Nintendo Power V242: 46–48. June 2009. “Questionnaire: How are things different now that you’re running your own independent studio? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages? / Yuji Naka: I don’t really see any disadvantages. Initially, it was really hard putting together the team. That took a long time. I feel a lot more freedom than I did recently at Sega. The way Propels now feels really close to the old Sonic Team, when it was more independent. I really like that.”

Square Enix

In 2018, Yuji Naka joined Square Enix and established its action game division known as Balan Company, collaborating with Naoto Ohshima. Naka took on the role of director for the game Balan Wonderworld, with Ohshima contributing as the character designer, and the development was handled by Ohshima’s company, Arzest. This marked their first collaborative project since Sonic Adventure.

However, in June 2021, Naka announced on his Facebook page that he had parted ways with Square Enix.[13]Yuji Naka is no longer working at Square Enix. Sonic Stadium. SSF1991. Retrieved on 4 June 2021. He later confirmed this on his Twitter account and mentioned that he was contemplating the possibility of retirement.[14]Yuji Naka leaves Square Enix. Gematsu. Sal Romano (5 June, 2021). Retrieved on 5 June, 2021.

In September 2021, Naka disclosed that he was teaching himself programming with the intention of working on a mobile phone game.[15]Sonic creator Yuji Naka says he’s teaching himself how to program his own smartphone game. Eurogamer. Matt Wales (17 September, 2021). Retrieved on 17 September, 2021.

Criminal Charges

On November 17, 2022, Yuji Naka was apprehended by Japanese law enforcement. He, along with former colleagues Fumiaki Suzuki and Taisuke Sazaki, faced arrest on allegations of insider trading related to undisclosed information about the game Dragon Quest Tact. It was claimed that Naka purchased 10,000 shares of the developer Aiming before this undisclosed information became public.[16]Sonic Creator and Balan Wonderworld Director Yuji Naka Arrested. Sonic City. (18 November, 2022). Retrieved on 18 November, 2022.

On December 7, 2022, Yuji Naka was rearrested, this time alongside Sazaki, on further insider trading charges, this time concerning the mobile game Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier. Naka had allegedly acquired a total of 120,000 shares in the developer ATeam.

Naka was formally indicted on December 27, 2022, in connection with these insider trading charges.

On March 2, 2023, Japanese news sources TBS and NHK reported that Yuji Naka had admitted to insider trading during a court appearance, involving ownership of ATeam’s shares valued at approximately £865k.[17]Yuji Naka Pleads Guilty to Insider Trading at First Trial. Sonic City. (March 2, 2023). Retrieved on March 2, 2023. “At the first trial held at the Tokyo District Court, Naka stated, “There is no doubt about it,” and admitted to the indictment.”

Three months later, on June 1, 2023, prosecutors sought a prison sentence of two and a half years for Yuji Naka.[18]Yuji Naka Could Face Prison Sentence and Fine Following Insider Trading Case. Sonic City (June 1, 2023). Retrieved on June 1, 2023.

On July 7, 2023, a judge at the Tokyo District Court handed down a sentence of two years and six months in prison for Naka, but this sentence was suspended for four years. The judge also ordered Naka to forfeit 171 million yen and pay a fine of two million yen.[19]Yuji Naka, Co-Creator of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sentenced with Suspended Prison Term and Fines. Sonic City. (July 10, 2023). Retrieved on July 10, 2023.

Notable Non-Sonic Works

Credits

Games

Lead Programmer

  • Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) – Program (as YU2)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) – Chief Programmer (Yuji Naka (YU2))

Producer & Lead Programmer

  • Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2 February 1994) (NA)
  • Sonic & Knuckles (18 October 1994) (JP)

Producer

  • Sonic Jam (1997)
  • Sonic R (1997) – General Producer
  • Sonic Adventure (1998)
  • Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)
  • Sonic Advance (2001)
  • Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (2001)
  • Sonic Advance 2 (2002)
  • Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut (2003)
  • Sonic Pinball Party (2003)
  • Sonic Battle (2003)
  • Sonic Heroes (2003)
  • Sonic Advance 3 (2004)
  • Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)
  • Sonic Rush (2005)
  • Sonic Riders (2006)

Supervisor & Produce

  • Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure (1999) – (as Y.Naka)

Advisor

  • Sonic 3D: Flickies’ Island (1996) – Advisors (SOJ)

Compilations

  • Sonic Mega Collection (2002) – Producer

Special Thanks

A Special Bow To

  • Sonic Spinball (1993)

Crossovers

  • Sega Superstars (2004) – Producer

Animation

  • Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (1996) – Co-production director
  • Sonic X (2003-2006) – Executive producer

Trivia

  • Yuji Naka’s inspiration for creating Sonic the Hedgehog came from playing the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES. He would dash through the first level quickly to reach a level-skip cheat in the next level, which led to his idea of creating a game where the goal was to finish levels as fast as possible.[20]Yuji Naka Speaks of Super Mario’s Inspiration. TSSZ News. Tristan Oliver (24 September 2010). Retrieved on 14 April 2018.
  • During the development of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Naka experienced motion sickness during play-testing, which led to the game’s pace being slowed down in the final version.
  • The Level Select cheat code in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 can be accessed by inputting Yuji Naka’s birthday into the Sound Test (19, 65, 9, 17).
  • In a 2009 issue of Nintendo Power, Yuji Naka expressed uncertainty about what makes Sonic the Hedgehog special and enduring.[21]“Power Profiles: Yuji Naka”. Nintendo Power V242: 46–48. June 2009. “Questionnaire: Why do you think Sonic has struck a cord with so many gamers for so long? / Yuji Naka: I don’t really know. That’s why I was able to keep making Sonic games for such a long time, though, so I really appreciate it. And even though I’m at Prope now, I still get letters from kids about Sonic. That really motivates me to create better and better games.”
  • Naka played a role in developing Sega Superstars as a Producer in 2004, marking Sonic’s first appearance in a game rated higher than “E for Everyone” by the ESRB.
  • He approached Nintendo with the idea of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.[22]Yuji Naka: Sonic & Mario “was my idea”. Eurogamer. Robert Purchase (2 October 2010). Retrieved on 14 April 2018. “Yuji Naka: It was actually my idea, and I was the one who approached Nintendo about it. I thought it would be fascinating to see the two heroes play together or play against each other, so that was exactly what I wanted. So I don’t feel anything funny about that at all.”
  • As part of his return to Sonic Team in the early 1990s, Naka received a Ferrari as a golden handshake.[23]SEGA: The Beautiful Journey Continues. Panzer Dragoon Legacy. Robert Frazer (1 August 2005). Retrieved on 7 April 2018.
  • Naka was originally supposed to appear as an extra in the Sonic the Hedgehog film but was forgotten during production.[24]Reaction to Sonic the Hedgehog (film) Trailer #1 (Japanese). @nakayuji. Twitter (1 May 2019). Retrieved on 2 May 2019. “Yuji Naka: そう言えば映画にエキストラ出演させて欲しいとお願いしていたのですが、忘れられたようですね。かなり前なので私も忘れていました。ハリウッド映画に出演したかったんですけどね。”
  • In the game Shadow the Hedgehog, GUN Soldiers would occasionally report that “Mr. Yuji Naka is alright.”

Gallery

Sega Visions, August 1992 pg. 20
Sega Visions, August 1992 pg. 21

References

  1. ↑ Anecdotes About Yu Suzuki From Yuji Naka. DenFamiNicoGamer Talk Show. phantomriverstone (27 March 2017). Retrieved on 6 March 2023. “Koji Aizawa: There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask Naka-san but haven’t been able… / Yuji Naka: What’s that? / Aizawa: You often write “YU2” as your alias, don’t you. Looking at it, since you’re Yuji, I wondered why the “2”. Apparently there’s a theory that since there was already Yu Suzuki (of Virtua Fighter and Shenmue), it was to show you were the second and were aiming to outdo Yu-san. I wondered if you had that kind of intention… What is the real meaning of YU2? / Naka: Yu-san is Yu Suzuki, and he used to write “YU”. I’m Yuji so it’s also “YU”, but since Yu-san was using that “YUJI” was suggested so I decided to make it “2”. It didn’t mean I was trying to better Yu-san, but that I’m next after him, a sign of respect. You see, I added the “2” with the feeling that there’s no way I could surpass him; I would be after him, or beneath him.”
  2. ↑ セガの天才プログラマー中裕司が明かす「ソニック」「PSO」開発裏話。セガのネット対応は“ある男”のポケットマネーだった…？(DenFamiNicoGamer; untranslated). 【ニコ生書き起こし】(untranslated). 電ファミニコゲーマー (untranslated) (2017年3月13日). Retrieved on 8 March 2023. “相沢浩仁: ずっと聞きたくて聞けなかった質問を中さんにしたいんですが……。 / 中 裕司: なんですか？ / 相沢: 中さんがよく、ハンドルネーム的に、「YU2」って書いてたんですよね。普通に考えると裕司だから、2なのかなって思うんですが。どうも一説には『バーチャファイター』や『シェンムー』の鈴木裕さんがすでにいらっしゃったので、その2人目、さらに裕さんを超えてやるぞとか。そういう思いがあるんじゃないかな、と思いつつ……「YU2」の本当の意味は何なんでしょうか？ / 中: 裕さんが鈴木裕で、「YU」って書いてたんですよ。ボクも裕司だから「YU」なんですけど、裕さんが「YU」使ってるし、俺は裕司だから「YUJI」にしようっていうので、「2」にしてるんです。これは裕さんを超えてやろうというより、裕さんの次というか、裕さんをリスペクトしているというか。ボクは裕さんを超えられない、絶対にその次、下にあるだろうと思って“2”ってつけているぐらいの感じなんですよ。その当時、鈴木裕さんって、本当に天才プログラマーというか、すごかったんですよ。”
  3. ↑ 名作アルバム – 『ガールズガーデン』 (ja) (15 January 2002). Retrieved on 6 March 2023.
  4. ↑ Yuji Naka confirmed to be leaving Sega to form Prope. Engadget. Dan Choi (8 May 2006). Retrieved on 24 July 2020. “Engadget: Back in March, we heard rumblings that Sega stalwart Yuji Naka was planning to leave Sega to start his own studio. Today, that rumor’s been confirmed. According to Next Generation, Naka’s new company is called Prope, which means “‘beside’ and ‘near’ future.” Prope’s web site (not linked on Next Gen) apparently explains that the name was chosen “in the hopes of bringing game entertainment much closer to users, establishing closer ties between users and us, and creating near future entertainment.””
  5. ↑ Yuji Naka On Prope’s Status: Downsized To One-Person Company. Siliconera. Alistair Wong (24 March 2019). Retrieved on 6 March, 2023. “Tweet 1: ご質問があったのでお答えしますと、プロぺは2017年4月末で事業を縮小して私１人の会社になりました。今年の6月で7年になるバディモンスターは運営会社様にお願いしてあります。もしよろしければプロぺのアプリや3DSのすれちがい迷宮やすれちがいフィッシング、そして僕が約20年ぶりに一部プログラムを Tweet 2: そして僕が約20年ぶりに一部プログラムをしたレジェンドオブコイン等を遊んで頂けると嬉しいです。 基本的にプロぺの仕事は土日に書類関連をやっている程度です。平日はスクウェアエニックスでみなさんに楽しんで頂けるようなゲームを作っています。”
  6. ↑  Yuji Naka Arrested a Second Time For Suspected Insider Trading. Sonic City (7 December, 2022). Retrieved on 7 December, 2022.
  7. ↑ Yuji Naka Indicted After Insider Trading Charges. Sonic City (28 December, 2022). Retrieved on 28 December, 2022.
  8. ↑ “Power Profiles: Yuji Naka”. Nintendo Power V242: 46–48. June 2009. “Questionnaire: How did you first become involved in the video game industry? / Yuji Naka: I started at Sega. When I was a high school student, I worked for the company part time. I was porting games from one platform to another. Going back further, the reason I first got interested in computers was because my favorite musician was using them to make music. From there, I started coding games.”
  9. ↑ “Power Profiles: Yuji Naka”. Nintendo Power V242: 46–48. June 2009. “Questionnaire: Why did you originally choose to work at Sega rather than some other publisher? / Yuji Naka: I wanted to go to Namco. [Laughs] But I didn’t get very good grades in high school. That’s why I didn’t go to university. Back then, Sega and Taito were the only companies that would hire people without a university degree. So I choose Sega. [Laughs]”
  10. ↑ Sega’s Yuji Naka Talks!. GameSpy. Retrieved on 3 January 2015. “Yuji Naka: I will go on the record here and state that we at Sega have always had nothing but the utmost respect for Nintendo and the Mario games. Even when they were our direct competitor in the hardware arena, we have viewed the games as a watermark of quality for us to strive towards. It is a pleasure and an honor for us to work with Nintendo as a third party today.”
  11. ↑ “Power Profiles: Yuji Naka”. Nintendo Power V242: 46–48. June 2009. “Questionnaire: You addressed this a little bit already regarding the longer development cycles, but how would you say the video game industry has changed during the time you’ve been involved with it? / Yuji Naka: Previously, games didn’t need to be realistic. Now a big part of a game’s marketing is how realistic it is. Think of it like the difference between a novel and a movie. Games used to be like novels in that there was a lot of room for the player’s imagination. With current games, everything is laid out for the player. The biggest change for me, personally, over the past 25 years is that I’m no longer involved in hardware development. I used to work on the hardware side, and in those days, I was battling Nintendo! [Laughs] That’s no longer the case, obviously. But for me, I think those hardware battles were more fun. [Laughs]”
  12. ↑ “Power Profiles: Yuji Naka”. Nintendo Power V242: 46–48. June 2009. “Questionnaire: How are things different now that you’re running your own independent studio? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages? / Yuji Naka: I don’t really see any disadvantages. Initially, it was really hard putting together the team. That took a long time. I feel a lot more freedom than I did recently at Sega. The way Propels now feels really close to the old Sonic Team, when it was more independent. I really like that.”
  13. ↑ Yuji Naka is no longer working at Square Enix. Sonic Stadium. SSF1991. Retrieved on 4 June 2021.
  14. ↑ Yuji Naka leaves Square Enix. Gematsu. Sal Romano (5 June, 2021). Retrieved on 5 June, 2021.
  15. ↑ Sonic creator Yuji Naka says he’s teaching himself how to program his own smartphone game. Eurogamer. Matt Wales (17 September, 2021). Retrieved on 17 September, 2021.
  16. ↑ Sonic Creator and Balan Wonderworld Director Yuji Naka Arrested. Sonic City. (18 November, 2022). Retrieved on 18 November, 2022.
  17. ↑ Yuji Naka Pleads Guilty to Insider Trading at First Trial. Sonic City. (March 2, 2023). Retrieved on March 2, 2023. “At the first trial held at the Tokyo District Court, Naka stated, “There is no doubt about it,” and admitted to the indictment.”
  18. ↑ Yuji Naka Could Face Prison Sentence and Fine Following Insider Trading Case. Sonic City (June 1, 2023). Retrieved on June 1, 2023.
  19. ↑ Yuji Naka, Co-Creator of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sentenced with Suspended Prison Term and Fines. Sonic City. (July 10, 2023). Retrieved on July 10, 2023.
  20. ↑ Yuji Naka Speaks of Super Mario’s Inspiration. TSSZ News. Tristan Oliver (24 September 2010). Retrieved on 14 April 2018.
  21. ↑ “Power Profiles: Yuji Naka”. Nintendo Power V242: 46–48. June 2009. “Questionnaire: Why do you think Sonic has struck a cord with so many gamers for so long? / Yuji Naka: I don’t really know. That’s why I was able to keep making Sonic games for such a long time, though, so I really appreciate it. And even though I’m at Prope now, I still get letters from kids about Sonic. That really motivates me to create better and better games.”
  22. ↑ Yuji Naka: Sonic & Mario “was my idea”. Eurogamer. Robert Purchase (2 October 2010). Retrieved on 14 April 2018. “Yuji Naka: It was actually my idea, and I was the one who approached Nintendo about it. I thought it would be fascinating to see the two heroes play together or play against each other, so that was exactly what I wanted. So I don’t feel anything funny about that at all.”
  23. ↑ SEGA: The Beautiful Journey Continues. Panzer Dragoon Legacy. Robert Frazer (1 August 2005). Retrieved on 7 April 2018.
  24. ↑ Reaction to Sonic the Hedgehog (film) Trailer #1 (Japanese). @nakayuji. Twitter (1 May 2019). Retrieved on 2 May 2019. “Yuji Naka: そう言えば映画にエキストラ出演させて欲しいとお願いしていたのですが、忘れられたようですね。かなり前なので私も忘れていました。ハリウッド映画に出演したかったんですけどね。”

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