Yuji Naka’s resume is impressive, having created Sonic the Hedgehog and produced Phantasy Star Online for Sega. Most recently though, he’s known for directing Balan Wonderworld for Square Enix. After that launch, it seems that he won’t be working for any big publishers, at least for now.
Balan Wonderworld was not a success (it sits at 51% on Metacritic as of the time of this writing), which led to Naka leaving Square Enix earlier this year. However, he’s not abandoning game development altogether. Taking to Twitter, he thanked fans for birthday wishes and revealed his latest plans.
According to the tweet, Naka is working independently on a “simple smartphone game” made with Unity. His new work is independent in the strictest sense — he’s the sole developer. We’ll have to wait to see just what kind of app he’s making, even if he doesn’t consider it “a big deal.”
As for Naka’s past work, the blue blur is in the zeitgeist again thanks to Sonic Colors Ultimate. Originally released in 2010, the game has been remastered with an improved frame rate, better graphics, a newly recorded soundtrack, and additional features. It’s available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.
Published: Sep 17, 2021 01:01 pm