Yuji Naka Filed Lawsuit Against SQUARE ENIX After Being Removed As Director

Former Head of Sonic Team, Yuji Naka, sued SQUARE ENIX after being wrongfully removed as the Director of Balan Wonderworld prior to release.

Yuji Naka has gifted the world with one of the most beloved franchises and the mascot of SEGA, Sonic. He has contributed immensely to the gaming industry with works that shaped the decennia that would follow. However, even such a high figure in the gaming industry occasionally ends up in a muddy puddle. Yuji Naka was the director of Balan Wonderworld, which failed to receive its due rectitude. The game was a broken mess upon release and barely sold over 2000 copies in its first week of release in Japan. 

Yuji Naka was seemingly removed as the Director of Balan Wonderworld. The title was nowhere near release and Yuji Naka spoke up about several things which induced disputes. He mentioned that he could not reveal all the details regarding his departure at the time, because of the ongoing lawsuit that bound him. However, Yuji Naka has now unveiled allegations against SQUARE ENIX since the company’s rules no longer restrain him. He revealed the news through a series of tweets which have since been translated (thanks, @Cheesemeister3k).

The famed developer noted that he believes “it’s wrong of Square Enix not to value games and game fans.” Resuming the Tweets, Yuji Naka stated that he was fired for two reasons, according to the court documents. “First, when a YouTuber’s arranged piano performance of the game music was released in a promotion instead of the original game track, turning the composer into a ghostwriter, I insisted that the original track be released, which caused trouble,” penned Yuji Naka.

Exploring more into this, Yuji Naka clarified that the second cause was his remarks about “wanting to improve the game in the face of Arzest submitting the game without fixing bugs.” He has apologized for the game being a broken record upon release. “Myself, I’m truly sorry to the customers who bought Balan Wonderworld in an unfinished state,” resumed Yuji Naka. “From this point onward, I will be able to react to posts tagging me or directed only toward me on SNS and such.”

He was familiar with the game’s broken nature but could not comment on it because of the shackles that kept him limited. He further showed remorse over how the game he worked on so enthusiastically ended with nothing but a crude mess. He cited that the game received little to no reception because of all these faults. “I’m disappointed that a product I worked on from the start turned out this way.”

Moreover, he also cited his remarks regarding how the game should not have been released in that state. “I personally regret that Balan Wonderworld was released to the world in an unfinished state. I wanted to consider all kinds of things and release it as a proper action game. I don’t think Square Enix and Arzest value games and their fans,” Yuji Naka mentioned. SQUARE ENIX has not commented on the situation thus far. However, the company has garnered a bundle of criticism from fanatics of Yuji Naka for firing him and releasing the game in such a failed state.

What do you think about this? Do tell us your opinions in the comments below!

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Shameer Sarfaraz is a Senior News Writer on eXputer who loves to keep up with the gaming and entertainment industries devoutly. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science and several years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.

Experience: 4+ Years || Education: Bachelor in Computer Science.

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