Yuji Naka

Profession: Video Game Designer

Biography: Yuji Naka is best known for co-creating Sonic the Hedgehog.

Nana began his career at Sega in 1984, working on various projects including map design and game testing. His first major project was "Girl's Garden" (1985), which gained him recognition within Sega.

He then contributed to "Phantasy Star II" (1989) and developed games for the Mega Drive console. In 1991, however, Naka made his mark when he co-created "Sonic the Hedgehog", which was a huge success for Sega.

Following Sonic's success, Naka moved to California to work with Sega Technical Institute. There, he led the development of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" (1992), "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" (1994), and "Sonic & Knuckles" (1994). He faced challenges here, however, due to cultural and language differences.

Upon returning to Japan, Naka headed Sonic Team, creating games like "Nights into Dreams" (1996) and "Sonic Adventure" (1998). He also developed "Phantasy Star Online" (2000), an online game for the Dreamcast console.

In 2006, Naka left Sega to start his own company, Prope. At Prope, he worked on smaller games and larger projects. Later he joined Square Enix in 2018, where he developed "Balan Wonderworld" (2021) with former colleague Naoto Ohshima.

Naka's career took a downturn in 2022, however, when he was arrested and found guilty of insider trading during his time at Square Enix. This not only resulted in legal penalties but also significantly damaged his reputation.

Born: September 17, 1965
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
Age: 58 years old

Generation: Generation X
Chinese Zodiac: Snake
Star Sign: Virgo