The co-creator and lead programmer of Sonic the Hedgehog is now a part of Square Enix. Yuji Naka announced the news on his official Twitter account where he wrote that “just a quick note to let you know, I joined Square Enix in January.” He also clarified that he’ll be “joining game development as before,” and that he strives “to develop games at Square Enix.”
While it’s not currently announced what game or project Naka is working on. He did mention that he is aiming “to develop an enjoyable game,” and told fans to “please look forward to it.” Naka’s last major title was Rodea the Sky Soldier, which he produced.
Check out Yuji Naka’s full statement below:
Just a quick note to let you know, I joined SQUARE ENIX in January.
I’m joining game development as before, and strive to develop games at SQUARE ENIX.
I aim to develop an enjoyable game, please look forward to it.— Yuji Naka / 中 裕司 (@nakayuji) January 22, 2018
Yuji Naka has been a major name in game development since he joined SEGA in 1983. He worked on several major releases as a programmer including Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Phantasy Star, and Spy vs. Spy. His most famous work is on the Sonic the Hedgehog series, where he helped create the iconic character and served as the game’s lead programmer. He also programmed all of the main Sonic games until 1994’s Sonic & Knuckles. He then primarily tranferred to being a producer, where he worked on the Sonic Adventure series, Nights into Dreams, Samba de Amigo, and other key SEGA titles until he left to found his own company, Prope, in 2006. Since then he produced the quirky Wii title Let’s Tap, designed Ivy the Kiwi?, and even worked on a StreetPass title for Nintendo.
What do you hope to see from Yuji Naka?
