Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator given suspended prison sentence for insider trading

Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka has been given a suspended prison sentence and a fine of approximately $1.2 million (or 173 million yen) after being found guilty of insider trading. According to a report in Japanese news outlet GG ,Via polygon, While the court sentenced him to 2.5 years in prison, GG There are reports that it was suspended for four years.

This means Naka shouldn’t be going behind bars anytime soon, as judges typically waive prison sentences if the defendant doesn’t commit any additional crimes during that period. Naka was arrested twice last year for his involvement in two separate insider trading incidents, both incidents occurred in 2020 while Naka was working at Square Enix.

In the first case, Naka and two co-workers bought 162,000 shares in game developer Aiming, worth about $332,000 (47.2 million yen), before Square Enix revealed to the public that it was working with the studio on mobile. Dragon Quest Play. The three men were arrested in November last year.

second event, Naka was arrested a month later, in which Naka and a fellow Square Enix employee reportedly bought 120,000 shares worth more than $1 million (144.7 million yen) in another game studio with which the company planned to partner. Studio in question, ATM collaborates with Square Enix on mobile game Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier. The judge’s decision relates to both of these matters.

Naka joined Sega in 1983, where he helped create the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog character. After leaving Sega in 2006, Naka joined Square Enix to work on Bad Feedback. Balan Wonderworld From 2018 to 2021. Naka says he was fired from the team six months before the game’s release, and subsequently filed a lawsuit against the company.