Yuji Naka, co-creator of Sonic the Hedgehog and former head of developer Sonic Team, has been arrested for insider trading in Tokyo. FNN first broke the story with the Asahi Shimbun newspaper corroborating it.
Naka is alleged to have bought stock in developer Aiming in early 2020, based on inside information that it would be developing the mobile game “Dragon Quest Tact”.
The special investigations unit of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office reportedly says that Naka had bought 10,000 shares in Aiming for $20,000 U.S. dollars after learning about the game in late January 2020 – well before the public reveal of the title the following month.
Naka’s arrest Friday follows those of two other former Square Enix employees a day earlier on the same charges. Naka served as the lead programmer on the original 1991 “Sonic” game and its sequels. His code enabled the game’s fast-moving, fluid visuals.
Source: Polygon
