Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka accuses Dragon Quest producer of lying during insider trading trial

Yuji Naka, co-creator of Sonic the Hedgehog, has returned to social media after an extended hiatus to accuse Dragon Quest producer Yu Miyake of lying during Naka's insider trading trial last year.

In March 2023, Naka pleaded guilty to insider trading following his arrest in November 2022. He was then sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail and multiple fines totaling just under £1m; he was later given a suspended sentence.

Now, Naka has posted on social media platform X in response to the news that Miyake is leaving his position as Dragon Quest series producer as part of a reshuffle at Square Enix. Miyake will now head the company's mobile game division.

“I hope he'll be gone soon because he's the kind of person who submitted a memo with lies (with evidence) to court,” Naka wrote.

More positively, Naka added that new Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu “seems like a good person.”

This was Naka's first social media post since November 2022, around the time of his first arrest.

Following his move to Square Enix from Sega in 2018, Naka purchased shares worth 2.8m yen in Aiming, a Japanese developer Square Enix partnered with to make a Dragon Quest mobile game, before the company's involvement was known.

In December 2022, Naka was re-arrested for additionally purchasing shares worth 144.7m yen in mobile developer ATeam ahead of the announcement of Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier.

Prosecutors in the case stated Naka “showed no signs of remorse.”

Eurogamer has contacted Square Enix for comment.

As reported by BloombergMiyake's move is part of Square Enix's restructuring plans, which reportedly began on 1st April.

President Kiryu aims to overhaul the company's development pipeline and reverse flagging sales. The new structure will mean less reliance on external resources and a greater focus on in-house AAA games.

Back in January, Kiryu noted in an investor Q&A the “limited diversity” of Square Enix's portfolio due to a reliance on big names. As such, he said the company must focus on fewer, more diverse releases.