Balan Wonderworld and Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka appears to have departed Square Enix

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here

Yuji Naka, former co-creator of Sonic the Hedghehog and creator of Balan Wonderworld appears to have quietly departed Square Enix.

As noted by GamesIndustry.biz, Naka apparently updated both his personal LinkedIn and Facebook profiles to imply his time as senior manager came to an end at the end of April. Though no reasons have been given for his departure, it’s believed by many to be somewhat related to the poor critical and commercial reception of Balan Wonderworldwhich released back in March.

Prior to his tenure at Square Enix, Yuji Naka was the former head of Sonic Team and was the lead programmer on the original Sonic the Hedgehog game, and also worked on other Sega titles such as Nights into Dreams, Chu Chu Rocket and Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg to name but a few.

At the time of writing, no official statement from Square Enix has been made regarding his depature.

About the Author

Ben Borthwick

Ben Borthwick is the News Editor for VideoGamer. He's a fan of action adventure games, music games and especially comedic games like the Monkey Island series.

Balan Wonderworld

  • Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series X
  • Genre(s): Action, Platformer
2 VideoGamer