Yuji Naka

Update: A correction on the below story. It's been reported that Yuji Naka has not yet been officially sentenced. His defence has requested that the jail term be suspended and the fine reduced. A final verdict will be reached on 7th July, 2023.


Original Story: Yuji Naka, the creator of Sonic the Hedgehog and face of the infamously broken Balan Wonderworld, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison after admitting guilt on insider trading charges. Additionally, he has been fined twice, to the tune of ¥2.5 million and ¥170 million, or slightly less than 1.5 million USD, all told (although Naka's defence team is seeking to have the amount lowered).

As reported by Denfanminicogamer.jp (thanks, TheGamer), in Naka's specific case, it was alleged that he purchased stock in two developers, using privileged and confidential information to make the buys ahead of the public announcement of new games. For the full picture, check out our coverage from late last year here.

In March, after choosing to plead guilty, Naka said: "There is no doubt that I knew the facts about the game before it was made public and bought the stock." What do you think of this sorry state of affairs? Let us know in the comments section below.

[source news.denfaminicogamer.jp]