Yuji Naka

Yuji Naka中 裕司, , credited in some games as YU2, is a Japanese video game programmer, designer as alive as producer. He is the former head of the Sega studio Sonic Team, where he was the lead programmer of the original Sonic the Hedgehog series on the Sega Mega Drive. Naka also led coding on games including Nights into Dreams 1996, Burning Rangers 1998, Sonic Adventure 1998 as well as three games in the Phantasy Star franchise 1987-2000. In 2006, he left Sega to found Prope, an freelancer game company. Naka also worked under Square Enix to direct Balan Wonderworld 2021.

Early life

Naka learned how to script by replicating together with debugging video game code printed in magazines. The experience prompted him to discussing assemblers and practice writing code during his school classes. After graduating from high school, Naka decided non to enroll in university and stayed in his domestic town.