Sonic The Hedgehog Creator Yuji Naka Joins Square Enix, will "Strive To Develop Games"

I was just about to post this. I hope whatever he's working on is Nintendo related. His new game could be "Arnie the Armadillo".

Edit: Actually scratch that idea. Doing a Google search shows he already exists in several forms.

Wait, doesn't he has his own development studio? What happened to that?

I look forward to his upcoming games: Chronic the Hedge Hog, Insane Uber and Supreme Primate Sphere.

How involved was this guy with Sonic’s 3D fall from grace?

So, no new game from him for another 10 years, and it will be a 4k remaster of Sonic Adventure.

Another day, another Sega related article shoehorned on to this site.

A game developer 'strives to make games' at his new job in a game studio. That isn't really a note worthy headline is it?

You posted the tweet, there's no need to quote the majority of it right below it. Also, why have you typed his name out as "YuJI Naka"?

Uh, okay ?
Sonic Fantasy ?
Final Fantasy Sonic Chronicles ??

Big fan here of all the stuff Yuji and his squirrelfriends created at Prope.

But I'd understand if some people (himself included) felt that he wasn't living up to his true potential in that constellation.

Or maybe Squeenix is just offering him a sallary he can't turn down.

He left after Sonic '06? PFFT

RIP Square Enix. No, like seriously. Looking forward to how much control SQ can keep...

Sonic RPG!

Whatever he makes can’t be any worse than what Sonic Team has put out since he left.

Wow!! Holy Cow!!!

Maybe a remake of rodea for switch unless that be a trapped game like project x zone on the 3ds

@NIN10DOXD Generations, Colours and half of Unleashed were good Sonic games he no input with.

Good to see he's doing well for himself, looking forward to his next game. ^^

This is relevant Nintendo news. Prope built a few things for Nintendo systems and Nintendo directly. Also Square Enix makes games for Nintendo systems.

I enjoyed Monster Manor on Streetpass although Ultimate Angler was a let down. I haven't had a chance to play Rodea on the Wii U yet.

My guess is that Square Enix will have him working on mobile games, but I could see some of those coming to Switch.

In a recent article in Retro Gamer magazine, describing the development of Sonic 2, he sounded like such an arrogant, racist git. So I can't say I'm much a fan of the guy. I hope he's matured since then, and that some great games come out of his time at Square Enix.

Eh. What about Prope?

Guess he wasn't a fan of the Rodea the Sky Soldier situation.

Wish he would just help out Sonic Team with the 3D SONIC games 😔

This is good news, after seeing the wonderful job he did with Rodea on Wii I really wanted to see more from Naka, but given how that game was also instantly remade and destroyed out of his control on Wii U, I really feared we would have got nothing more from him.

Glad to hear he is still around and that he will even start working at Square, definitly curious to see what kind of game he will make there!

@Yasaal He left during the development of Sonic 06. He was the head of Sonic Team, the Miyamoto to SEGA, and left after 15 years of working for them. His absence was just another reason why Sonic 06 wasn't completed.

@thesilverbrick Like I said above, he left during the development of Sonic 06, leaving Sonic Team without a leader during the transition to HD, and it shows. I know he is responsible for the controls in Sonic and the Secret Rings for Wii. Also, every 3D game, including ones outside of Sonic, he is involved in seems to have camera issues. Really, it depends on what you consider bad Sonic games. If you think the Adventure games, Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog were bad, then he was probably responsible for those decisions. Sonic Games have a 1 year development cycle more or less, and Shadow the Hedgehog was released in 2005. His lack of involvement directly hurt Sonic 06 development time to say the least.

Edit: Accidentally sent while still typing on my phone.

@JohnBlackstar If you can, find a copy of Rodea on Wii instead. The 3DS and Wii U port weren't made by his team and play radically different than the original on Wii.

The game would have been a late release on Wii to begin with, around the same time Skyward Sword came out probably, but it was delayed by its publisher so they could hire another team to make a 3DS Port, and it was delayed for so long they decided then port that 3DS version to Wii U. Prope didn't have involvement in the development of the inferior versions.

This might be our chance for another single player Phantasy Star. Or maybe a Phantasy Star Online-like Destiny competitor.

I always wondered why the game came with a copy of the game on Wii too. I hadn't followed the news about what transpired.

Best of luck at your new job!

That's good, now if only Sega would jump on board with him and allow Square Enix to make a Sonic RPG. That would be epic. I would buy a Square developed Sonic RPG the moment there is one.

Trying to remember the last good game he made... Struggling. Did his talent fade when the Dreamcast died?

My favorite 3D Sonics were released when he was with SEGA, so I like to believe him leaving in 2006 is the reason the games are about "boosting" instead of the fun fast platforming in Adv/2/Heroes/StH and even 06.

Nintendo Life misattribution of the day. Yuji Naka did not create Sonic the Hedgehog. He was just a programmer. Hirokazu Yasuhara led the design of the game and Naoto Ohshima designed the characters. Either of them could be said to be the creator of Sonic, but it's a huge stretch to say Yuji Naka did. Good reporting, guys.

Maybe he will be tasked with developing a Chocobo platformer. OK, that's weird. Anyway, I just hope it isn't a sonic ripoff

This is interesting news!
Final Sonic of mana fantasy rpg xvi confirmed?

@ClassSonicSatAm You could say that Sonic Colours & Generations are okay Sonic games that happen to look amazing compared to the games that preceded them... Sonic '06 would make even Sonic Racers look like a godsend.

BTW, love the Sonic SatAm name... did you follow it in the Archie comics?

@Yasaal Yuji Naka actually left to form his own company shortly after development of Sonic '06 started... while I doubt his staying would have saved a game so lazilly & hastilly released, it's unlikely he much to do with the final poop-fest that got released.

Billy Hatcher RPG?
Torq the Chocohog?

@Knuckles So Sonic 06 wasn't his fault? Wow. Well he should have finished it before leaving.

He was one of the major contributors to the Phantasy Star series back in the Genesis era, so it shouldn't be too surprising that he'd join Square.

@ClassSonicSatAm Yeah. It’s just Sonic Team has been floundering and Sega puts all their eggs in one blue basket, especially in the West.

Best of luck to you.

Man, 20-years-ago-me's Sega Saturn-loving, Final Fantasy-hating heart broke reading this news.

@kurtasbestos Sad huh, Square Enix (both Squaresoft and Enix) never once made any games at all for Sega's systems and now they are taking one of Sega's best guy. Well at least the Sega Saturn had Tomb Raider, Ogre Battle, and Grandia, three great game franchises that Square Enix later also got a hold of so it is kinda like Square Enix games for Sega.

@DanteSolablood I will admit Colours was okay Sonic (taking what was good about the last game and building on it, rather then trying out something else... Lost World? ) Generations is to me the greatest modern Sonic game we had so far, good level designs, something both fans (3D and 2D) the custom skills, really replayable, top it with mods... (which could of been DLC if SEGA had the right idea.. ) then you got a game to last you for AGES.. XD it's just sad that Forces (which seems like Generations 2) just seems like ruined version of the 1st game, so many downgades, to the point I rather play Sonic 06. (may be buggy, but at least the levels are more bigger and better designed. )
And thanks! yeah sure do before they stopped making them. still a fan of that and the SatAm cartoon.